Quote:
Originally posted by eddie:
Mike B - Conventional wisdom is that the hatchery fish are genetically inferior to the native fish. It's certainly not nearly as adapted to the specific stream as is the native. If we have that spawning activity, it is inevitable that there will be genetic weakening of the native offspring.
I don't know why anybody ever thinks about this: HATCHERY STEELHEAD AND WILD STEELDEAD ARE THE SAME! I do know that between different watershed fish can be longer, shorter, bigger etc. because they are specialized for that river. But what about natural straying? Why do peolple complain about hatchery plants? One reson fish stary is to make sure the species does not break appart into subspecies in every river drainage. I know wild steelhead grew up in the river and have better survival instincts, but an off spring from hatcher/wild parents would have the same experiences.

Think of it this way. You take two human twins and seperate them at birth. One is raised in New York city and the other is raised in the farm lands in Eastern Washington. One is raised in concrete surroundings with everything done for him, (sound familier?) the other one is raised in open land and has to work for an living. THESE TWO PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME GENETICS! Even though they where raised in different areas. Let's say this goes on for a few generations. Then one day, two people meet, one from the New York family the other from the Eastern Washington family and they get married and have a kid (you didn't know this was a love story did you? laugh ). They then branch off and raise this kid in Southern China. This new kid is raised in compleatly different surroundings BUT STILL HAS THE SAME GENES.

Now, sombody tell me why this is not the same in steelhead?
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They say that the man that gets a Ph.D. is the smart one. But I think that the man that learns how to get paid to fish is the smarter one.