Plunker

Your last sentence took the words right out of my mouth!

Isn't it just amazing how all other species can interbreed within its own specie and continue to survive, but yet fish in some peoples minds, don't follow the biological rule of nature.

Unfortunately, wild fish don't live or survive in glass bubbles and many other factors are most likely working on their decline other than just hatcheries and intermixing. Some areas will likely continue to support self-sustaining runs, while other areas will continue to decline. Fish will continue to survive even when many wild fish stocks have vanished! It's been going on since time.

Rob:

Why is it a "bad thing" to have hatchery fish spawn in the wild? It's working just fine on the Upper Cowlitz, so why won't it work in other areas too? In your mind, is it also considered to be a "bad thing" to have wild fish stray into other rivers and spawn, mix and compete with their own native fish? Since those strays don't belong there, and are not native to that system, shouldn't those strays be bonked to save the pure native strain that currently exists in that system? What is the big difference?

One could certainly make the case that if wild fish are so essential, then all fishing on those stocks should be curtailed! That would also mean no more catch and release seasons either. So it would appear that it's "OK" for the people who enjoy there catch and release fishery, that also causes a "taking" (hook and release mortally rate), but at the same time, other fishers that enjoy the "taking" of hatchery fish must give up there sport, and share to those that only enjoy and promote a "wild fish" hook and release fishery.

In cases were many river are void of "wild stocks" in sufficient numbers to ever become fully "self sustaining", why would anyone not want to utilize the river for fish production by useing hatchery stocks that may very well adapt to the river someday, and may even become self sustaining over time?

I don't really know what the actual numbers are, but one would think that there is less then 10-20% of our rivers left that really have viable stocks of wild fish. Wouldn't it make more sense to enhance those few rivers that are left that still carry viable stocks of wild fish, and promote hatchery supplementation in the remaining 80% that doesn't?


Cowlitzfisherman