Good discussion, although perhaps not as productive as it could be…….

One point that gets overlooked - A study that looks at hatchery and wild steelhead interactions CANNOT say anything about other species of fish that are also raised in hatcheries. Too often,when scientists examine the interactions between wild and hatchery steelhead, some folks extrapolate the results to other species of salmon that are also raised in hatcheries, including Chinook, coho, and to some degree, chum. That’s not good biology. The originator of this thread appears to be making the same mistake.

A study that looks at hatchery and wild steelhead can only produce inferences about hatchery and wild steelhead. We can debate the implications of those results at length. Nothing wrong with that. But to apply the Clackamas River study results to other hatchery fish (e.g., Chinook and coho) or to hatchery and wild stocks in general, is inappropriate and wrong.