The more I look into this issue the less inclined I am to believe that a wild broodstock program can be justifiably used for "supplementatiion" as Todd defined it.

A wild run that is so depressed that it is just at or below escapement goals will produce relatively few juveniles that in turn hatch into a habitat of relative abundance. Egg to smolt survival is exceedingly high under such conditions. The fish really don't need the "help" of a hatchery during this lifestage. The data indicates that the number of returning adults will be maximized if the wild fish were just left alone in the first place.

The only exception I could forsee is if the habitat is "rearing-limited" to the point that even the few naturally-produced juveniles can't be supported by the "limited" habitat. A broodstock program could buy a little time until the habitat conditions can be improved. To make it work, none of the broodstock progeny would be clipped (can that even be done legally now?)... the returning brood fish would be allowed to mix with the wild fish on the spawning gravel to help bolster numbers of "wild" fish.

Clipping the juveniles would make no sense in this scenario since that would just render the returning adults vulnerable to harvest. You know, back to that scenario of mining eggs to support a harvest fishery.