CASTLE ROCK — About 1,600 hatchery-origin summer steelhead will be taken from Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery and released downstream at the Interstate 5 boat ramp, giving anglers a second chance to catch the fish.
The recycling will start on Monday or Tuesday and continue through July and August, said Cindy LeFleur, regional fish program manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A two-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey determined recycled hatchery steelhead released in the lower Cowlitz rarely move into small tributaries where they could compete with wild steelhead.
The hatchery fish will be marked to show they are being recycled.
Sportsmen paid for the Geological Survey research through fees paid into the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement program. The program charges an $8.75 in addition to license fees for anglers who fish in the Columbia and its tributaries.
