The Cowlitz salmon hatchery is a disgrace and the folks running it should be ashamed of themselves. It was advertised as the most advanced and expensive multi million dollar hatchery in the state. Yet they continue to randomly spawn the fish and go against all natural selection. With this policy in place for all WDFW hatcheries, the future of hatchery salmon in WA state have no chance. It still amazes me that these folks go to school for this, get a degree in fisheries where they learn all about natural selection, and still cannot figure this out. The should spawn only the largest healthiest fish of each year class. But instead it is easy for them to blame it on ocean conditions instead of trying to get better because there is no incentive to get better. When was the last time that you heard of a WDFW employee get laid off?
We have had WDFW staff increases in personnel and salaries year over year with a corresponding decrease in adult fish production.

I would suggest the following:
1) Privatize each hatchery with a bidding process to contractors and a reward or incentive for higher production. Without a doubt, a private company will do better in all aspects than the government.
or
2) WDFW Staff numbers and salary be correlated to number of adult fish produced per hatchery