Fished the Clearwater about 5 years ago and met a fisheries biologist,(forget name) that had done a study on CNR on the Clearwater Hatchery fish. This guy from what I was told was one hell of a biologist and I know he was one good Steelhead fly fishermen. What he told me was that he got permission to catch as many hatchery Steelhead as he could using bait,lures with trebble hooks and single hooks. This guy told me that in his study he treated 50% as one should treat a fish in CNR and the other 50% pretty ruff. Guess he dropped the ruff handled 50% in the boat and then just dropped them over the side when he released them. All fish he tagged and he said that he got back almost every one of them to the hatchery.
Just wondering if you might know this guy and might know of his study? Not condoning poor releases on fish, but I believe that they are a little tuffer than we sometimes think. With all the talk of CNR this study may add some imput. Maybe someone else knows of this study.
Thanks
LT

I have not read that study or know who may have done it. I'll check it out though. I know that the fish can take a lot of abuse without killing them. I know that fish in silver creek and some other places get caught several times a year ( not steelhead but trout) C&R should be manditory on all wild fish

Pretty sure the biologist you're referring to is Steve Pettit. Slender guy, maybe 5-10 with curly brown hair and beard. He works for Idaho Fish and Game out of Lewiston and is generally regarded as the region's most knowledgeable source on steelhead and salmon, and in many circles the area's finest fly fisherman. I'm not familiar with the study you're referring to, but I have heard this from him personally: Steelhead are a very resilient species, much more so than salmon. That is probably the primarly factor contributing to the decline of wild salmon runs on the Snake. They just don't negotiate the dams very well.