Arklier,

The studies that came up with those conclusions are listed and discussed in both this thread and the "Retaining Hatchery Steelhead" thread. They've also been discussed before on this BB, so a search of the site would probably come up with them and more.

The fact that it doesn't make sense to you doesn't make it not so. All the science points to the fact that it does indeed make sense, repeatedly.

Salmon and steelhead are not bass, walleye, or carp. They have life histories that are incredibly complex, and depend on many more factors than do warmwater fish life histories...more than we know, yet, I'm sure.

The "95% instinct, 5% experience" discussion doesn't mean anything to this discussion...the genetics that fish have, genetics that have developed hand in hand with the particular environment that the run of fish developed in, are not instinct, nor are they experience. Instinct rises out of the particular genetics, and are further modified by the experiences of the fish.

Scientific studies have borne these conclusions out repeatedly.

You wondered if wild and hatchery salmon interbreed successfully. I don't know of any studies that have specifically studied that yet. Until recently none of the hatchery fish have been marked, so it was harder to tell what was what, or even how many wild fish were among the hordes of hatchery fish returning.

These studies have been done on steelhead, though, and all have concluded that they do spawn together, but that they do not produce any (statistically) returning adults.

Also, it has been shown that one generation in hatchery ponds does indeed separate the wild fish from the hatchery fish...and more generations makes it even worse. That's why the broodstock programs which don't use fish more than a generation away from the wild fish are better, but still will never be as good as the wild fish.

When I have a bit more time than I do at the moment I'll post some of the most recent studies here, unless they get posted before I get a chance to.

Fish on...

Todd.