S malma

I started chewing on that LLTK's hatchery reform recommendations for Puget Sound (2003).

I was a bit perplexed by the concept of rigidly designating 'integrated' vs 'segregated' hatchery programs, and the group's stance against any sort of 'intermediate' programs.

For the rest of the readers:

Integrated program: In a given drainage, the stocked fish are made to be as much like their wild counterparts as is humanly possible (ie in terms of genetics, morphology, run-timing). Co-mingling on the spawning beds is OK, but not necessarily desirable. No more than one third of natural spawners should be of hatchery origin... basically 2:1 ratio of wild:hatchery on the redds. Broodstock for the hatchery should consist of 10-20% wild fish ( in other words, 80-90% hatchery in-breeding).

Segregated program: In a given drainage, the stocked fish should be managed as a distinct stock with ideally no co-mingling with the wild stock. The genetics and run-timing would be very different so as to minimize pollution of the wild gene pool. Ideally no more than 1-5% of natural spawners would be of hatchery origin.

What do you guys think?