C&R HATCHERY FISH ?

Does it do any good to release Hatchery Steelhead? Is there a possibility that some will spawn in the Creeks or River?

Of course they can still spawn. Most of them will. Should release as many steelhead as possible. Only keep what you'll eat.

PK

Mike:

I removed a dam on Crocker Creek in Cloverdale that had been there since around 1900.  Obviously, the historic run was GONE.  The next year, and every year since there have been spawners back in Crocker Creek.  To date (since not enough time has passed for a generation to return) every adult I have seen up there spawning was a hatchery stray.  So in effect, the hatchery fish are repopulating an area where the wild run was eliminated.

That said, hatchery fish are born to die, so if you want to keep one, do so guilt free.

Heres a happy little story on Crocker Cr. that was in the PD...

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=108473447ADAB533&p_docnum=18&s_dlid=DL0106122704144502910&s_ecproduct=SUB-FREE&s_subterm=Subscription%20until%3A%2012%2F14%2F2015%2011%3A59%20PM&s_subexpires=12%2F14%2F2015%2011%3A59%20PM&s_username=santarosa&s_upgradeable=no

Thanks Sean that's what I thought but some people say they don't some people say they are messing up the gene pool of the natives, but I just think that makes them feel better about keeping all they catch. I'm happy with 1 for Mom and 1 to smoke.

That is a good article I have read it a few times.

For better or for worse hatchery steelhead in the Russian are genetically identical to the wild stock. This is either the result of amazing broodstock selection for the hatchery, or hatchery fish have fllooded the population...pick a theory. 

This is a never ending debate up here in the NW.  There are some studies that suggest the natural born offspring of hatchery parents or hatchery/wild parent have not been viable at all, meaning there were no returns of the offspring of hatchery fish that naturally spawned.  One of the reasons may be that many of the hatchery fish used are from the Chambers Creek stock, which is an early returning stock.  The fish might not be adapted enough to survive naturally in the rivers that they have been introduced to.

There's a similar issue with Atlantic Salmon that have escaped from farming netpens.  While we see them find their way to rivers to spawn, we don't see them creating self sustaining runs, meaning their offspring don't survive to spawn themselves.

Sean, it will be interested to see if you get offspring from those hatchery fish back to Crocker.  I don't suppose you're tagging any.

-Allen

Was there landlocked fish behind the dam?

I have noticed that since the hatchery was put in that I catch more fish under 10lbs before almost all of my fish were over. I guess that could be from other condition also.

We find hatchery steelhead spawners in every creek we trap or monitor.

Was there landlocked fish behind the dam?

Yes and no.  The habitat in the pond was not suitable for salmonids, but there were small resident fish above the impoundment.   I have no reason to doubt that the will produce viable young, as Blufin said, we see natural spawning hatchery fish all over the basin, and there return time etc. are fine.

but there were small resident fish above the impoundment.

Were they genetically tested?

Fish above essentially every barrier were tested by a researcher at SSU a few years back.  Genetics won't tell you if they are/were anadromous.

hatchery steelhead in the Russian are genetically identical to the wild stock.

Just curious if the were the same ?