SlabQuest

That comment displays much of the two-dimensional thinking that currently plagues many of our resource managers. That many fish arriving all at once would pose water quality as well as oxygen problems, however a wild run of fish that was exposed to this issue would more than likely adapt by lengthening the timing of arrival in the stream. Natural selection would favor the offspring of the fish that did not arrive all at once. Number of fish, size of the river, AND the timing when they all return are the dimentions that should be considered. Further, as oxygen levels began to drop many of the stronger fish could migrate further up or down stream to survive and thus pass on their superior genes. Natural selection favors the strong.

Salmo g

Please describe the actual properties of the Gulf of Alaska that make it more productive now compared to the area where our fish grew in the 1870’s. What is different now?