Hatchery vs. Wild

Interesting. What does wild really mean?
http://www.channel6000.com/c6k/news/...17-190433.html [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Hoosier Daddy]

To me, wild means no, or at least minimal, chances that the stock has been interbred with by hatchery fish. Meaning we have maybe two wild stocks in the northwest, if that. The term that more accurately reflects the situation is "naturally-produced" fish, those that may or may not have hatchery parents, grandparents, etc., but were spawned in the wild. Unfortunately, too many people interchange all these terms for their own benefit, or because they don't know better. In my book, wild is wild, native is wild, naturally-produced is naturally spawned hatchery or hatchery/wild mix, hatchery is hatchery, and unclipped-hatchery is hatchery -- and NONE of these refer to the same fish. But that's just me, I call jumbo shrimp "prawns" and mini-prawns "shrimp" too, because, dammit, that's what they are. How do you get jumbo shrimp, military intelligence, fair legal advice, etc.???? Aw nevermind.

[Pilar]

Well, ok lets do semantics, shall we?

Think about the guy in the boat. He reels in a fish with too many fins and lets it go. How does he know where the fish came from? I know this question is academic because the fish is released but it points out the problem. Not all hatchery fish return to the hatchery. Some stray to other streams and spawn with wild fish thereby diluting the wild stock. Not all hatchery fish are clipped.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm .......

[MetalHead]

WILD!!!! you guys are kidding right? For one even the fisheries guys have know idea if a fish is wild or not until it makes it to a stream with NO hatchery production or they kill it and do sampling. I spoke with a friend of mine in the WDFW and a biologist and both told me that at least half of the Federal hatcheries and close to 85% of the indian hatcheries do not clip their fish (due to the added expense of clipping) so just guessing about 70% of those unclipped fish we released in the lower Columbia in the last month were hatchery raised. I had 2 fish that actually felt like wild fish (burning line off the reel, had no intention of giving up, resusitated easily after removing the hooks, large fish 20+lbs with shoulders) not like the hatchery fish that are in the boat 5 minutes after you drop the can.

[Pilar]

Hey ******! It's intriguing what the media can do to facts to get into a little bite. Wild means that the fish was reared in a hatchery that does not clip smolts.

There are dozens of river and season specific runs of anadromous fish. The media boiled that down to 'runs' for the benefit of the unwashed masses. I guess it is more important to not put people to sleep with the whole story than to portray it as the complex problem it truly is.

Nice article, thanx.

I agree with you MetalHead. Clone sheep,
Clone humans. NAH!! Clone fish...hmmm
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