There was an article in Salmon Trout Steelheader a couple of years ago about
a study of several races of steelhead, utilizing electrophoretic techniques,
indicating that the genetic makeup of wild native fish in Washington is
remarkably intact. This is due largely to the very poor spawning success
of hatchery fish. Hatchery x hatchery and hatchery x wild crosses rarely
result in viable offspring; one more argument in favor of restricting
hatchery porduction programs, and one more argument for catch-and-release of
wild fish.
