Regading the Elwha "hogs".

In spite of chopping of the most of their habitat via the dams and bring the fish into the hatchery there were monster fish (80 to 100#) returning to the river decades after the dam was built. As with many of our larger Chinook stocks those exceptionally large Chinook disappeared with the more intense ocean fisheries that were targeting those fish on their feeding grounds. Those hook and line fisheries (ocean troll and sport fisheries) are highly selective against both the fast growing and oldest fish in the population. Without addressing that selectivity we will never see those huge fish again even if their habitats are restored.

Tight lines
Curt