I haven't watched the McMillan video yet, but I appreciate the comments here on it.

No one can argue that hatchery fish are good for wild fish...and really no one can argue that they are not bad for them, too.

That being said...the level of "bad" things from using Chambers Creek stock is so low as to be negligible.

Considering we are being asked to give up all steelhead fishing in Puget Sound for negligible benefits...I think that doing so would be asinine.

The one area where I would have some concern is that there should be, and were November, December, and January native steelhead in good numbers in the past, and there's no doubt that Chambers Creek hatchery fish contributed mightily to their demise, whether it be thru mixed-stock harvest, displacement on the spawning grounds, wild/hatchery smolt competition for food and space...whatever.

Can we get those fish back? Will getting rid of Chambers Creek fish contribute in any meaningful way to that happening?

I'd have said "yes" if we were still releasing many millions, with a large percentage those being outplanted so that they were not collected at the hatcheries.

I'd have also said "yes" if they were not clipped. Back in the day when the hatchery programs were really ramping up and the hatchery fish weren't clipped we just harvested whatever we caught...I mean, with the full tilt hatchery programs putting out fish that were exactly the same as the wild fish it didn't really matter, right?

Well, it's become clear we were catastrophically mistaken about that, and that while we were harvesting whatever swam by a goodly portion of them were the earlier returning wild fish, too.

With fin clipping, and adult collection facilities, though, it's hard to argue that those effects would still be significantly affecting early timed wild fish...I think.

I'd love to hear Salmo g. and Smalma chime in on that.

Fish on...

Todd