I'm not saying that hatcheries are the problem, rather, I think there are an ineffective solution. The statistics clearly indicate that hatchery management, as currently implemented in the state of washington, returns fewer fish, by at least an an order of magnitude (you do understand what that phrase means, don't you?) than wild fish smolt populations of the same size.

Therefore, tribal and commerical pressures are not the point. They are merely a pressure point on an ineffective solution, which can lead to steelhead returns such as we saw this past season.

I agree with WT other organizations to a point, that hatchery stocks apply pressure to wild stocks, and are therefore deleterious to wild stocks, but my belief is that the problem is different. We are clinging to a belief that hatchery production can keep us fishing,when the data indicates that hatchery returns are getting worse, for a given plant of fish. We are on a path to a train wreck. And no one is paying attention.