Why doesn the MNDNR increase the number of steelhead smolts stocked?
Raising steelhead smolts is expensive and production costs average between $2.50 and $3.00 per fish. The return rate of adults derived from stocked steelhead smolts has been disappointing, averaging about one percent since the program began. Much of the scientific literature suggests that significant genetic risks accompany hatchery intervention in the rehabilitation of wild steelhead populations. However, many anglers feel this risk is worth taking, and that there may be an even greater risk in allowing the present population to decline further. Stocking high numbers of hatchery-reared smolts in the Knife River where the outcome can be evaluated will help determine the effectiveness of this strategy.
