Originally Posted By: Jake Dogfish
Not buying that hatchery smelt help wild smolt. Predators will leave/die if not enough food.


While predators (and their current high populations) are not totally the result of hatchery smolt production I believe the point being made is that in the short term should there be a huge decrease in hatchery smolt those predators would impact wild smolt at a much higher rate than currently being experienced.

To the extent that those hatchery smolt are critical to the predator population their removal would ultimately result in a decrease in predator numbers (along with adverse impacts on other potential food sources).

Ultimately there would be a new balance........but at what cost to those wild smolt?
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