At first it seemed odd to propose the Gray's as a wild gene bank river because of the hatchery on the West Fork. However, I heard that the hatchery is going to close because the site and the water supply are threatened by the river channel movement, or something like that. So it's just a matter of time. And since the Gray's does have the most suitable steelhead habitat and the healthiest run of wild steelhead at the present time, it's the best candidate for gene bank designation, unpopular as the idea might be.

If gene bank designation comes to Gray's Harbor, the best candidates probably are the upper Chehalis and Newaukum. There's a fair amount of suitable habitat that's likely to remain in forestry and decent wild runs, but today's standards, that is.