Currently, winter steelhead plants in the Chehalis Basin proper are all derived from local stocks…. and to the best of WDFW's ability, they are managed as integrated populations. The HSRG goal is to introduce at least 30% wild gene flow into the parental broodstock used each year and allow no more than 15% of gravel spawners to be of hatchery origin. I've NEVER seen a comprehensive document of how well these metrics are being consistently met, if at all. My educated guess is that they aren't.

Summer runs… Wynoochee, Chehalis, Hump… are all derived from Skamania stock. While the strains used are locally adapted, they are the only out-of-basin hatchery steelhead planted in any significant volume in the basin.
_________________________
"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey)

"If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman)


The Keen Eye MD
Long Live the Kings!