Originally Posted By: Hanker
How do the Quinault get back such good returns of hatchery Steelhead, but the State can’t seem to do the same. Why isn’t the State on the same program? I understand that the PS rivers have their own set of issues that might make any program difficult. Seems like the Quin’s or preferably the state, ought to be able to replicate their results in other coastal streams.


The fact is, we don't know that the Quinault get such good returns of hatchery steelhead because we don't know either the number of smolts released or an estimate of the number of adults that return. Without those numbers it's impossible to know if Quinault return rates are any better or worse than WDFW's. Since the Quinault is a coastal river, it probably gets a higher rate of return than Puget Sound rivers, but we have no idea if it is any better than other coastal rivers.