Run-n-gun,

Selective breeding of 3-salt summer runs was common in the hatcheries in SW WA from the mid-70s to early 80s. It might have been done with winter steelhead too at some locations, but I'm not aware of it. Yes, a lot of 3-salt hatchery fish have been caught from the Cowlitz and other rivers, but if you look at 50 years of hatchery winter steelhead in the Cowlitz, there have been way more 6 - 8 # 2-salt fish than 3-salts. Selective breeding was discontinued when the Dept. observed that the smolt to adult return (SAR) was significantly lower, reducing the return on investment, since it cost the same to produce a smolt regardless of the age of the returning adult.

Sg