Good to read some forward thinking regarding how hatcheries and salmonid enhancement methods can and should change …. and happy you mentioned the Vedder, jon5hill.
I would fully support matrix spawning an undetermined number of wild (or at least, unclipped
) Chilliwack River steelhead females with as many males as possible, and using these units in selected areas of the Chilliwack River (ie. low maintenance/stable water flow sites such as Centennial, Yukalup, Peach Channels etc, as well as the outlet of Chilliwack Lake, Foley Creek and other sites on the upper Chilliwack River.
IMO, poor spawning gravel quality, impeding egg to fry survival, is
the limiting factor in wild steelhead production in the Chilliwack. These units, as well as other technology already known but not employed, could definitely jump start declining diversity in salmonid populations in many BC rivers.