I've had long conversations with friends about this very subject. I think it is admirable to make a reasoned decision. I've made a different decision in that I will keep hatchery fish if I'm catching them, but if I'm in a river with a healthy population of silvers (I too fish the Sol Duc frequently), I do not feel any guilt about taking home a native fish once in awhile. I still release 3 or 4 for each one I keep, but I keep some. Why?

Instead of eating that salmon, what are you going to have for dinner? Salmon caught somewhere else by someone else? Who caught it? Were the runs healthy? How do you know?

And when is the last time you bought a fresh fish from the store?

So, you say, just don't eat salmon. So you eat beef or chicken. Well, there is some pretty intense impact from factory farms. In the end, maybe the best thing you can do is responsibly catch fish, target hatchery fish, and if you get native fish from healthy runs, don't outright dismiss keeping a fish now and again.

I think that decision is very hard that you've made. Everything you do has an impact and just remember that the fish you eat for dinner comes from some stock somewhere. I say it's better to know where your food comes from as much as possible, and be as responsible as is possible (which it sounds like you are).