Salmo g.,

I found the following in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement:

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"In its review of the Skagit River Hatchery Winter Steelhead Program the HSRG (2003) suggested that construction of an acclimation and adult recapture facility in the lower Skagit River, specifically at Grandy Creek, would benefit the Skagit River program and could help reduce potentially adverse interactions between hatchery and wild fish. According to HSRG recommendations, releasing acclimated smolts into the lower Skagit River may help to shift the focus of steelhead harvest downstream of the current primary harvest areas, reducing pressure on wild steelhead in the upper reaches of the river.

In addition, acclimating juveniles in the lower Skagit River may decrease potential interactions between hatchery and wild steelhead in the upper river as hatchery adults that were reared as juveniles in the lower river would home to the lower river and be collected at an adult trap near the acclimation facility. With the exception of the Baker River Trap, there are no existing adult collection facilities on the lower Skagit River."
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Is it your opinion that the recommendations of the Hatchery Scientific Review Group are not valid guidance in determining the best management objectives?

Or not of high enough value to squander any monetary resources to implement them?

If we are going to upgrade hatchery operations to conform to the best practice with the least impact upon wild fish it is probably going to be costly enough to classify the meager amount required to bring an acclimation facility online as a drop in the bucket.

One of he objectives in building this facility is to help protect the early component of the wild native Skagit and Sauk winter steelhead.