Minimizing Ecological Impacts of Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Steel head Trout on Wild Salmonids in a Yakima Basin Watershed

Abstract

Adverseecological effects on wild fish resulting from releases of hatchery-reared fish are increasingly being scrutinized and balanced against benefits afforded by hatchery programs .To improve understanding of the potential ecological effects of hatchery steelhead trout (anadromous form ofOncorhynchus mykiss)on wild trout (resident Oncorhynchus species) populations, we studied releases of 23,000 to 38,000 hatchery-reared steelhead trout smolts