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(Nicholas and Hankin 1989). Oregon biologists believe that the credit belongs to the <br />natural healing, in the past three decades, in many lower main stem rivers and estuaries. <br />The recovery of coastal Chinook salmon has occurred with little or no "tweaking" from <br />agencies. The famous Elk River study concluded that wild and hatchery systems were <br />only weakly compatible. These data were collected over 20 years from a hatchery that <br />was meticulously managed to mirror the wild run. This study makes the point, "hatchery <br />and natural production systems could coexist if hatchery management practices take <br />extraordinary care not to reduce the productive capacity of the ecosystem" (Nicholas and <br />Downey 1989). Based on the results of the study, we conclude that coastal Chinook <br />salmon stocks are healthy and productive because they have productive habitat and have <br />not been affected by hatcheries. <br />Spring -Oregon's spring Chinook management primarily focuses on releases of smolts. <br />Outplanting oversize smolts has generated excessive returns of subjacks and increased <br />straying (Smith 1987). <br />The Willamette River historically produced the major portion of the run in the Columbia <br />Basin. Dam construction and years of habitat degradation has reduced the wild run <br />contribution to a small percentage of the spring Chinook salmon return. Approximately <br />95 percent of the adult return are from hatchery releases. Evaluation of the status of <br />wild stocks of spring Chinook salmon in the Willamette Subbasin has not been <br />completed. <br />Spring Chinook salmon supplementation evaluation programs statewide are inconclusive. <br />However, smolt (180-190 mm) releases have produced the most successful adult returns. <br />STEP <br />Oregon's Salmon Trout Enhancement Program (STEP} recruits the services of volunteer <br />citizens to assist with habitat improvement projects, population and spawning surveys, <br />and streamside hatch boxes. The STEP program began in 1982 and in 1988-89 the hatch <br />box segment released a total of 2.6 million salmonid fry (Table 2). <br />Table 2. Total salmonid fry released in 1988-89 Oregon STEP program. <br />S ri Chinook <br />Fall Chinook Coho Winter Steelhead Chum <br />Cutthroat <br />168,023 <br />571,372 1,035,223 686,653 23,612 <br />113,076 <br />This program involves individuals and conservation groups throughout the state; <br />however, coastal streams provide the major production. <br />7 <br />