DK & LT,

The kings taken to the Skagit hatchery get their final rearing and release offsite in the upper Skagit so that they will most likely return and spawn naturally among the other native kings in the river. For purposes of the program, and the improvement of the wild run, the state and tribes don’t want a “domesticated” hatchery strain of summer chinook. This is why you’ll see them taking wild broodstock each year as long as this program continues.

Yes, selective fertilizing of eggs was long the common method of fish culture. That is also considered a major contributor to creating some of the poorer characteristics of our hatchery populations. In the wild, the largest males would seem to take their pick of the lot. However, they cannot be everywhere at the same time, so smaller males, and even jacks, manage to shoot their wad into creating the next generation of fish. Not exactly random, but it seems to make for a fairly complete mix of successful genotypes to perpetuate the run. Nowadays most hatcheries, as a matter of policy, utilize random mate selection technique for egg fertilization. The hatchery salmon of today are already somewhat different than their homogenous “white bread” predecessors.

The main way to avoid chinook that are all alike in this program is that wild broodstock are taken each year, so the compounding effects of multiple generations of hatchery fish culture are avoided.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.