Well here we go NW. Let talk aobut the Kalama since I am more familar with that river than any other. First I will say do you believe everything you hear, especially by people that work for our government? I hope not because they do control the masses... Anyhow back to the Kalama. I will say that my cousin worked for the Kalama hatcheries for years and now works on the Lewis so with that ..... I will stand by what I said and repeat that in almost every single situation where hatchery fish have been intorduced, native strains have been in every way diminished.

On the Kalma they have a program which is a WILD broodstock program. They produce fish from the wild fish they catch at the trap and created a "broodstock". These fish have the genetic makeup of hatchery and wild fish. THese fish do not return until late winter, early spring as do the wild fish. If you did not know all fish are pretty much stopped not once but twice at fish traps throughout the course of the river. Here, regardless of wild or hatchery, they are handled a tremedous amount while being measured, weighed , scale sampled and recorded. Not something a wild fish should have to endure.

Anyhow these broodstock fish, are released above the second trap at the 2nd hatchery along with all of the wild fish. These fish will now go toward kalama falls and Gobar creek to spawn "together", integrating genetics with eachother over the past umpteen years...

How can they tell the difference between wild fish and broodstock you may ask, well in todays day and age they implant micro chips in the snouts of many fish. Almost all broodstock fish, so then at the hatcheries they can wave a little wand over their heads and determine whats whats. Again let me say that these fish are hatchery fish and are put up stream with the "wild" fish to spawn.

I have caught many fish in the kalama clear till May that are mint bright hatchery fish and are big. Broodstocks. These fish return the same time as do the wild fish and are winter runs. In fact a friend of mine FLoyd, causght a 28lb hatchery steely at the mouth of the kalama while trolling for spring chinooks in march years ago. This again is a broodstock fish. Hatchery genetics though....

What i'am saying is that just because these fish are big does not mean that they are "natives" because they aren't. I hate to burst your bubble NW. They are wild fish that have spanwed naturally but have spawned with hatchery fish over the course of many years. Over the course of 20 or more years you cant tell me that the native strain of fish has avoided spawning with these half and halfs. Not all hatchery fish are genetically geared to spawn in Dec. and Jan. That is ignorant to say. however the core of fish are as were 45000 elochaman strain fish were planted for this return in the Kalama.

Take a look at summer runs for example. They stay in some rivers 6 to 8 months before they spawn. These are hatchery fish. Ex. Kalama...

Hatcheries have tried, revolving in cycles to try and get better returns. Dont think that they have not messed with the Native fish at one time or another or that genetics have been mixed on some redd on a river. Anyhow that is that. If i did not cover everything please feel free to ask. Pautzke thanks CF