Lets do a little bit of science and math here:
Let z = total number of o. mykiss
y = total number of resident rainbow trout
x = total number of wild steelhead
v = total number of hatchery steelhead
z = y + x + v
When they count fish going over the Columbia river they count z but not y, x, or v. Besides y is close to zero since they don't migrate. So the equation is z = x + v. They can distinguish between x and v by a fin clip and take a statistical sample of the whole population by taking a a smaller sample of these fish. You can get it within a certain level of confience and then you can figure out x and v and z. You can also figure out v by subtracting out the number of hatchery fish returning to hatcheries along the Columbia tribs and from catch statistics. You can also do spawning surveys to figure out out v and x. It is science based. Are fisheries biologists trained in statistics?
Its all a bunch of BS. Judge Hogan appears to be uneducated on fish. The groups presenting the law suit are all a bunch of neo-conservative self-serving idiots that are going to drive the steelhead to extinction. A very conservative coworker, from the South, told me that the fish runs were healthy based on the total number fish. I told him that you have to differentiate between wild and hatchery fish. Obviously he doesn't fish but he liked the hatchery steelhead that I gave him to eat.
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I'd Rather Be Fishing for Summer Steelhead!