PS ... Properly equipped, and handling fish with care, mortality is actually quite low.

Not only do studies show this, but real-life experience in seeing what we lose in our broodstocking efforts also more firmly ingrain this theory for me.

Mortality is often what the angler makes it. Fish smart and it stays low. Put success rate first and it will rise ... thus the efforts of many to educate anglers that might not know any differently to enlighten them.

Some stocks cannot handle any mortality at all and should not be fished on, others that are hangin' tough can more than likley handle some asociated mortality with C&R. This is that happy medium.

I'm sorry, but IMO, hatchery fish will NEVER be a replacement for wild stocks. I'm not anti-hatchery, but I'd rather have my fish come back in all sorts of sizes, through all the winter and spring months, and I love taking a lunch breaks near active spawning areas and watching fish do their thing, from hens digging as hard as they can to big bucks chasing away smaller ones. I like the fact that I can go out on my deck and watch the progress of the redd digging.

Sporties have been screaming for many years that "times change" as they battle for fish against the commericals that use the argument that they are fourth generation fishers. Guess what, our times change too.

Your commment of "I just tend to take things personal when my livlihood might be taken away" goes both ways. How do you think I feel when I watch a fat wild hen get cracked simply because someone wants some eggs to be used for bait because the angler won't pay $2 for a tub of sandshrimp or didn't put enough hatchery steelies eggs away earlier in the season.