I fish the salmon river out of salmon idaho for steelhead. Talked to the boy tonight and they are in town already. This does not usually happen until the first of Dec. They are running hot and heavy and because of the increased run of hatchery fish they have upped the limit to 5 per day 15 in possesion. Now I am really sad about this. I feed families with the fish I get steelheading. Now I will have 5 to give instead of 3. yes I am counting my metal heads before I catch them but catch them I will LOL.
I can understand being sad. Wild steelhead are a amazing species. Unfortunately their health is seriously impacted by hatchery fish reproducing. Thus the take of HATCHERY <HUGE EMPHASIS> steelhead is extremely important. You have to take em out so they wont reproduce!
In the past it appears that wild and hatchery steelhead have had ample chance to interbreed, and where do or did the hatchery stocks originate from? Seems as if any hatchery fish that get through and intermingle, although it’s quite a gauntlet to do so, would add to that Steelhead population.
The emphasis on taking (in the sense of catching and killing) hatchery steelhead has to do with the low reproductive success rate of the hatchery “brats”. Studies have shown that the progeny of hatchery-reared steelhead usually exhibit abysmally low return rates (less than two per adult spawning pairs) and that when they or their progeny cross with wild steelhead there is a corresponding decline in spawning success and adult return rates.
I have read that Hatchery fish are inferior to wild strains – I am not sure I am ready to buy into that argument quite yet.
I guess that I have a little trouble calling the hatchery fish inferior after they have - in the case of Lewiston Idaho - travelled maybe 500 to 1000 miles to Lewiston ( I don’t know the actual distance) – maybe more than once in the case of Steelhead – avoided all the pit falls such as dams, seals, fishermen, ocean conditions, etc – of the journey and found their way back to their place of origin.
I don 't have the answer. I think however that it is more involved than tearing down a few dams, swapping out a few culverts or eliminating hatchery fish. I think perhaps the most important thing we can do is start by looking at the ocean fishing by big international concerns that scoup up everything that they get in their nets or kill as by catch.
Anyway, not my intention to hijack this post.
Orthoman first let me say you did not hijack this thread. I am in agreeance with you. The what ever youwish to call them that fish off shore and kill everything in ther wake need to be held accountable for their actions. This year we are bless with a huge run, next year who knows. Breaking down damns etc is not going to help. As long as we as humans provide a way for the fish to get “home” they will run and reproduce. To reproduce they do need to be alive which are netting commercial fisherman tend to eliminate. hope this makes sense