Thank you Brian. It will be a hard pill for Salmo, eyefish, and fleaflick to swallow that they are wrong. I doubt that all three will admit it. Maybe Salmo but not the other two. They have been brainwashed by the department and have another agenda to promote.
Another study that could also be easily done in similar fashion to this one is the impact of winter hatchery steelhead on wild winter steelhead for the Nisqually and Puyallup Rivers since those hatcheries were shut down. The wild fish populations there have not come back. Neither have they on the Sauk.
Bottom line: I would argue that hatchery fish are not to blame for the decrease in wild fish. We just need some artificial selection taking place in the hatcheries to keep up with the wild natural selection taking place in the rivers.
I like the anger in this discussion. Us Steelheaders should be pissed off about what as gone on the last 10 yrs. Nothing but lawsuits and lost opportunity. I agree with having a few rivers dedicated as hatchery factories. We had one in the past called the Cowlitz. We need to rally, like the rally on the Skagit to open that fishery. It won't be long that the sport will go away with nothing but memories. I am willing to participate but know little how to be affective.
Here are some facts on the Puyallup.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01857/wdfw01857.pdf It has made a substantial recovery since 2005. Check out pg 9.
Could not find any Nisqually data but have a friend that works for Centralia City Light and he has info that the Steelhead numbers have been increasing there also. That's based from their hydro power diversion trap above McKenna. The Tribe also is monitoring and surveying yearly with numbers increasing.
The Sauk and Skagit numbers have increased enough to provide a catch and release fishery for the 2nd time in 2 years, since 2010. Although numbers are still at historically low levels, their seems to have been some rebound over the last 10 years.
Previous Topic
Index
