Thank you for your e-mail correspondence to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fish Program.

You are correct, in that the White River was historically a tributary to the Green River. The change of the White River's course did not eliminate the return of indigenous salmon stocks to that basin, but may have reduced total returns, due to straying back to the Green.

The key factor is that hatchery spring chinook were not introduced into the White River and genetic testing has demonstrated that this stock is unique among Puget Sound chinook stocks. There are currently hatchery spring chinook released into the White River, but they are part of what is termed an "integrated recovery program." The hatchery fish are the descendents of wild fish taken from the White River during the 1970s. All fish produced in the hatchery program have been identified with tags to maintain the genetic integrity of the hatchery stock over the past 30 years. Recent genetic testing has demonstrated that the current hatchery supplementation stock is indistinguishable from the naturally produced fish in the White River.

The answer to your ultimate question is that the fish being protected are both hatchery and wild components of the White River chinook stock. There is not any distinction in management priorities between those components, as they are both considered critical to the recovery of this stock.

If you have further questions, please email again or call (360) 902-2700. Our Customer Service hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Sincerely,
Fish Program

It sound rather suspicious to me. Why just this year is it an issue and not 30 years ago?