Thumper I agree get out and enjoy them and take them out of the system. The problem with hatchery fish is 1 when we plant them in such large numbers they outcompete the wild juveniles and when they return as adults, stray from the hatchery and spawn in the wild.

As far as a game fish All i can say that as a fly fishermen i have more chance of cathching 1 of the 2-300 wild winter runs in the East lewis that 1 of the 1500-2000 hatchery fish becuase the hatchery fish are not nearly as aggressive.
You should also know, and this is obvious, there is no hatchery on the East Lewis therefore every hatchery fish that is not harvest remains in the system and spawns. recent studies have shown that for every pair hatchery fish spawning in the wild the reporductive siccess of a native pair is eliminated.

Never ever no matter what under any circumstances never release a hatchery fish that you catch on a river that has no hatchery!!

This is not about being anti-hatchery fish it's about looking at reality. Hatchery fish are bad for wild fish there is no way around that. The Cowlitz is the only river I know of that no longer has a wild run big enough to save. All the other rivers have a good chance if we do the right things now.
I oppose the idea of giving up and only managing for hatchery fish. Therefore I oppose increasing hatchery plants anywhere. There are plenty of hatchery fish in all our rivers already and increasing thoes numbers WILL decrease the number of wild fish.
decreasing the number of wild fish on any river in Washington state in unacceptable to me and I would expect to almost every angler in the state of Washington.