While reading the news article cited in the "Nooksack Poacher Caught" thread I noticed the following:

From the last line of the article:
"Most of the wild steelhead in the Nooksack River originate from a hatchery run by the private organization Washington Trout on the river's middle fork."

Wild steelhead from a hatchery?
Run by Washington Trout?

Can someone clarify what's up with that?

Plunker,

I noticed that also. Haven't heard of any wild broodstock hatchery programs on the 'sack. Have to check with Smalma. Either way, the wild 'sack steelhead aren't dependent on any hatchery programs.

In any event, I don't take newspaper articles too seriously. My observation is that over half of the articles on topics that I'm well informed of have one or more significant errors. News writers aren't experts on topics they write about - at least fisheries issues. They try to get it right, but they don't.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I don't know what program the article refers to, but, as many of you might have guessed, Washington Trout does not run any hatchery programs, on the Nooksack, or anywhere else.

I beleive there is some kind of cooperative thing somewhere on the Nooksack between TU and some Boy Scout troop or middle-school or something. I believe they are raising and releasing steelhead, but I seriously doubt it's as any kind of wild-supplementation program. I'll be contacting the Herald. Thanks for the heads-up.

Ramon Vanden Brulle,
Washington Trout

The Hearald is just plain wrong ... the wild fish in the "sack" aint got nuthin to do with the middle fork hatchery

Salmo, Ramon and Paul,

Thanks for the clarifications.

I obviously suspected that more media misinformation was the case, hence the question.

Salmo - For once we're in total accord. If a study is mentioned or quoted in a news article I usually make it a practice to read the original to confirm the facts and sidestep the media spin.

Sometimes the news can be the best source of comical "truths" although it scares me that many people accept those "truths" without question.

Washington trout doesn't have any thing to do with the hatchery fish on the nooksack. We (TU) whatcom county chapter along with MT. Baker high school students raise the fish at the middle fork acclamation site. They are all clipped and released into the nooksack.