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HATCHERIES AS A TOOL FOR REBUILDING WILD STOCKS 



Hatcheries have partially succeeded in that they now contribute heavily to 

 catches of some species, but there is only speculation on the success of 

 hatcheries in rebuilding natural production. In some cases, hatcheries may 

 have actually helped this rebuilding, because natural spawning was the 

 intended result of many off-station releases of hatchery-reared Chinook, coho 

 and winter steelhead. The contribution of planted hatchery fish and strays to 

 natural production in the Chehalis Basin has not bean studied. However, there 

 are numerous biological concerns about the wisdom and feasibility of using 

 hatcheries to rebuild wild stocks. Recent studies and reviews of hatchery 

 supplementation of wild stocks elsewhere makes this point highly debatable 

 because of genetic, competition, and harvest management concerns (Nickelson et 

 aJ. 1986; Killer 1990; Hilborn 1992). 



