if we had wide spread timing on wild returns and are now limited to late river returns, it seems that would correspond with the early run hatchery fish effecting the wild fish, in ways other than integration. That was my question about spawning techniques. If, say at the hatcheries on the Kalama or Cowlitz mixed large numbers of wild fish with hatchery fish, never clipping any, and these fish do not successfully spawn I would think this could greatly effect a wild run without much DNA integration. Similarly, if they are competing for food, the fewer wild smolt would then face competition with the hatchery fish. Release timing, the effect fry releases vs. fingerlings, and other factors could all come into play. Then, if we have a predator base that is reliant on the hatchery smolts, it seems a complete removal could lead to the wild runs being decimated by the existing predator base. So much to consider, but it seems knee jerk conclusions by people who think one-dimensional are the norm.