If you guys are going to use QIN production to compare with WDF&W you need to look into the history of that program Manny put together. It is not at all like WDF&W from brood to rearing. Steelhead are not a good match for hatchery rearing do to it's natural life cycle and habitat use.

Now as to cost benefit ratio it varies so I will not argue with the numbers up but again it varies. Take GH and the best hatchery cost benefit ratio is Summerrun Steelhead by a mile. Additionally with no natural runs zero genetic conflict & high value fishery. WDF&W did here and will oppose / object / stonewall any effort to rearrange the hatchery complex around game fish as they ARE the Department of Fisheries that got saddled with old game ( or ate them alive as a WDG employee described ) and want to do nothing but reduce game fish programs. The one exception is lake plants whose licenses pay a monster portions of their income. WDF&W's has two focuses the ocean fishery and commercial but Rec fishers have terminal, are, and will be a giant pain in the ass to them. Add to that if describing parts of the male anatomy as a agency they have stones the size of a grain of sand when addressing over harvest.