adipose - ventral ?

in the regs it states hatchery steelhead are identified by missing adipose OR ventral fins could someone shed some light on the matter as to why ventral missing fins steelhead on the cow must be released?

I don't know the story on the cow but there is a very good chance that those fish are from a test plant some where just my .02

I believe that those fish are offspring of ventral marked adults that were recovered and then trucked above the dam to naturally spawn. The smolt are then captured in smolt traps, marked and released with the general population. When those ventral marked fish are captured the cycle continues.

Just what I have heard thru the grapevine. Perhaps
Cowlitzfisherman has a more correct perspective.

FJ...out.

On the Cowlitz, all right ventral fin clipped steelhead must be released in the lower river below the barrier Dam.

These fish were raised above the dams for a special sport fishery in the upper Cowlitz above the Cowlitz Falls Dam. They may be kept or taken (and yes, killed) in the daily bag limit their.

In addition, if these reportedly "genetic late stocks" are not harvested or caught during the "sport fishery", they would then be allowed to spawn and add to the natural production of the what WDFW now call "wild late Cowlitz winter steelhead stocks"

Hope this answers your question!

Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

I had always wondered that myself, sort of screwy to me. Just what most want to do go up and catch some spawners above the dam...
Keith