Genotype: What is stored in their genetic material.

Phenotype: What traits or behaviors are exhibited or expressed.

This is the "nature vs. nurture" element...they have a lot more in their genetics than what they generally express, and what they express is often a factor of their environment rather than their genetics.

The very first generation of hatchery fish begin significant changes in their phenotypical expression, and those changes not only persist through the generations but can oftentimes be reinforced and made even more significant.

In spite of the general love of broodstocking programs by guides up and down the west coast, not one single time ever have they been shown scientifically to do any good at all, and have frequently...well, always when they have bothered to check them scientifically...found to do more harm than good to the wild stocks.

The problem is usually trying to serve two masters...make fish for harvest and make more wild fish...the problem is that you can't do both.

If you are making them for harvest, then just say so and do it...but you may as well just harvest the wild fish that you killed to put into the program, as they will produce more fish overall than the ones in the program will (but won't be clipped).

If you were making them to help wild fish there are two things you'd need to do...first, not harvest them, and second, suspend science and pretend that it's actually working.

Fish on...

Todd