Originally Posted By: Carcassman
One of the big problems of hatchery fish was, pre selective fisheries, we simply hammered the early part of the wild run. Wild fish (used) to return in December, January, February.

The sport and net non-selective fisheries hammered them out of existence. Some of the folks who worked on major watersheds believed that it was the early returning fish that spawned in the tributaries. Data I saw, through '10, was that the tributary spawner numbers are falling. Some in the Skagit, tons in the Green. Had nothing to do with interbreeding, but simply a mixed stock fishery. Not the only reason, but it's one of them.


And I too remember catching big winter natives in the early 80's with my dad on the EFL in late November and December, ironically right in line with all the Chambers Creek turds that were brought it then the front half of the wild run crashed. I cherish a picture at my dads house of him and I 2 days before Christmas with a 25 and 21 pound steelhead he took that day.

It went through a phase where you'd mostly catch wild winter natives in Feb-April if you could find them but the front half of the run disappeared. Call it a coincidence but science tells me those Chambers Creek turds paired up with their share of those early winter native spawners nearly wiping that run out do their the reproductive fitness of HxW. It doesn't work. HxW doesn't work and BxW doesn't work either...

Either find a way to segregate the hatchery fish from the river or eliminate them in rivers with native populations. It's a fix no one wants to see but it's a fact in fixing it...

Keith
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It's time to put the red rubber nose away, clown seasons over.