First, what makes you think that Bear Creek sockeye are in decline?

Second, yellow perch eat a lot more salmon fry/smolts than the bass. And yes, they are non-native.

Third, why do we need a hatchery on the Cedar anyway? I spoke with a WDFW research biologist a few years ago that said the natural spawners are producing more adults, and fewer smolts than the hatchery fish. If mother nature is doing her part, why don't we stay out of it? Especially if the stock is not native in origin. Sure the Cedar probably had a stream type sockeye (like the White and Green), but if the latest batch is Baker Lake origin, why bother to get involved?
It is my understanding that the reason for the hatchery is harvest, not conservation. If that is the case, then we haven't learned a thing about the 4-h's as a cause for salmon declines (HATCHERIES, HARVEST, habitat, and hydropower).

Let's face it, we've shot ourselves in the foot with hatcheries. We should know better.

FP