Rob,

Good question, but does it matter? I mean, the conclusions of science, even if absolutely correct, don't have much effect on a close-minded audience; i.e., smoking causes cancer and heart disease; yet people keep smoking; poor diet causes poor health and obesity; yet people continue to eat poorly. People like their hatcheries. Angler's have caught hatchery fish, and often times a lot of hatchery fish. They see the "good" thing, and may not be open-minded to any evidence of hatchery downsides. The legislature is requiring WDFW to downsize in response to the state budget crunch, but you can be sure they will not allow any hatcheries to be closed as part of that budget reduction. These things are visceral, not rational, to the public. You might as well debate religion, abortion, or politics with such an audience. There's no point (perverse recreation aside) in discussing this with anyone but the open-minded.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.