Cowlitzfisherman, A lot of the competition detrimental to wild fish occurs when thousands of hatchery smolts are dumped into a river system with limited nutrient levels. The hatchery fish are very aggressive feeders; I'm sure you've observed their behavior in the hatchery ponds when the feeding machine kicks on. That said, I wish they would slug Cedar River with a bunch of "new, improved" hatchery fish. After a decade of no fishing, the wild fish don't seem to be making a comeback. Last week, scientists studying the Cedar reported zero steelhead observed in one of the best March holding spots on the river.