[Doublespey]

The Idaho State DFW is planting unclipped hatchery fish in the Clearwater? Since the wild fish are protected, that must mean the unclipped hatchery fish will be too. Are they hoping the indians will catch them all? That they'll spawn with the wild fish?

Cl)0)0)0 - any opinion on this?


http://www.newsdata.com/enernet/fishletter/#4

 

[juro]

Doesn't make sense. I can't help but think it's a ploy to cloud the raging hatchery vs. native preservation debate that hangs over the Snake and Clearwater (any upper Columbia drainages).

If you look at rivers like the Cowlitz, they stopped clippin after they built several dams and went to an assumed pure hatchery run. I heard they recently started clipping again because fish were found to reproduce naturally in Newaukum and other tribs. You can't keep unclipped fish in the Cow during certain seasons, or so I have heard (I'll check this out so for now it's just a rumor).

In any case, clipping is specifically aimed toward identification and thus proper understanding and management of the health of native vs. hatchery populations. Stopping this is sure to cause serious problems. Why don't people address the real problems? Deforestation and damming.