If you visit the Friday creek hatchery on the samish river there is an extra pen. They keep smolt in there for 9 months. when they release the 6 to 9 inch fish they go to the sound but dont migrate out of the sound. They lose there desire to go to sea by living in the creek/pond for the extra time. Not one of these fish are fin cliped and they go all over the sound. I bet at least one fish that your friends released was from the samish, so what do you think about that...DJ