Attached is a link to Oct 4th editorial. Goodbye Washington Trout!!!!!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2001758097_hatched04.html

Pro Hatchery? ...or, Pro Issaquah?

I do think the article seems to be pro salmon or at least draws attention to their value and that is a good thing.

Why "goodbye to WA trout"?

Sorry, i'm new here.

Washinton trout is very vocally anti-hatchery. But it is not trout hatcheries they are vocal about, it is salmon hatcheries.


t

The Times article was really not so much promoting hatcheries per se but showing the huge interest in salmon. Some 150,000 visitors to the Issaquah hatchery is proof of that and not that they all approve of the operation or significance of hatcheries or even understand anything about salmon issues. It is a first hand look at the majestic salmon that most of them do not get any other time of the year.

The Seattle Times knows what is going on and chose not to raise the genetic dilution (or whatever it is) issue, and that to me implied tacit approval of the present system. This editorial was followed by an article today discussing hatchery policy and how it has changed so as to allow hatchery fish to seed the rivers wherever possible. The second article, in spite of it's title, seemed especially pro-hatchery to me.

wheyerhouser single handedly wiped out the wild salmon of the issaquah creek in the early part of the century.

My father is the head of FISH friends of issaquah salmon hatchery and my friends girlfriend runs the educational department there and the salmon camp for kids. i grew up playing at the hatchery and even fishing there back in the day when my buddies dad ran it...... however!!!

the hatchery has done little if anything to attain wild (or as close as they can get)spawning fish ppulations in the creek. the hatchery led to the demise of the wild steelhead population on the creek by not allowing them to pass upstream for many many years. there are no steelhead on the creek anymore.(hatchery or wild, except one single returning efluvial fish)
the hatchery does nothing but provide salmon for the commercial fisherman and spreads a half truth to a quarter million people that "the salmon are back in record numbers and we have fixed our salmon problems" If it was used to educate the public to the reality of our salmon and steelhead emergency then it would be a positive thing but instead it misleads the general public into thinking that we have record returns. i will believe the "record returns"spouting folks when wild chinook and steelhead return like pinks do now. other than that, i think the hatchery should be shut down and so should the nets. it is total and complete hypocricy on the part of MISmanagement. the goal of a hatchery should be to put itself out of work as soon as possible by creating spawning populations that dont need mans money or pellets to survive

hatchery salmon are really a red herring!!!

lupo

thank you for that astout and open minded assessment.

I especially liked this part. What a concept. It should be a mandate!

i thought he was pretty accurate