They take eggs through the full run early, mid, and late. They are not supposed to just mate big fish to big fish but rather take fish representative of the run. That was the protocols as of 10 years ago and I doubt they have changed much. I know of one hatchery that is not state that mates big fish a priority.

It probably still is. Consider that in the wild, all the fish that make it back spawn. Some more successfully than others but they all spawn and let nature take its course. That was how the runs evolved. What survived the gauntlet of predators and poor habitat is what spawned; survival of the fittest.

Hatcheries, and intensive mixed stock fisheries changed this. As you noted, fish were selected in the hatchery for artificial reasons; size, color, and maybe even passivity as a passive fish was easier to catch and spawn.

Timing of returns was constrained for convenience, the hook and line fisheries removed the most aggressive feeders, and so on.

Fish were paired for artificial reasons and not natural selection. We now know that jacks and sneaker males contribute; but not in hatcheries.

We need to admit that hatchery fish are radically different from wild. Not better, not worse, but different. We know wild fish do poorly in hatcheries and hatchery fish do poorly in the wild. Well, duh.

Triage in the form of writing off some wild production and some hatchery production is likely the only way to simultaneously retain hatchery and wild fish.

12/30/2020



How do we know that???? Someone would have to be watching to see this being done.

I've mentioned many times, that Oregon doesn't want jacks in the rivers at all, sportsmen don't have to punch them, limit 5 a day.

Crying shame, that WDFW allows /protects jacks to be in a spawning area.... should allow sportsmen to take double the limit or more AND not have to punch them. Jacks should go to those that would use them, rather than "surplus", I hate that word......

For salmon a certain % of jacks are added to the spawning. Bit more than in the stream as I have watched spawning and the jacks sneak right in while the big guys duke it out or if they are the only male. What we never understood is the hatchery % as way more jacks in hatchery adults than wild in fact you seldom see jacks get to sneak in the wild. They try like all get out but in adult fish fights size does matter!

We put some jacks on eggs at the Dungeness Hatchery

12/30/2020

I'm sure that some educated, scientific, individual wrote a paper on the benefits of using "jacks" in spawning, but "Mother Nature" did a wonderful job for 10's of thousands of years........returns of BIG salmon were plentiful until man got involved.

Jacks should be "surplused" BEFORE they get to the hatchery..... IMO, smoked jacks are a welcome eatery in my neighborhood......mmmmmmmm

Vacuum sealed jacks, they are good for making dips and just plain eating !!!!!!!!

I wonder if Alaska uses jacks in a hatchery program......I know Oregon doesn't...is there something they know ??????

Jacks are part of the whole tapestry of the run. One thing they provide is genes from "other" broods. Take coho, which are primarily a 3 year fish. Without jacks there would be very little genetic interchange between brood years.

The way they learned about jacks and sneaker males being successful in spawning was by genetic examination of the resultant fry, fingerlings, and smolts.

We had big salmon returning to spawn when we didn't kill them as juveniles in the ocean.