The Cowlitz River has brought forth a bountiful supply of coho salmon this year, with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reporting the best returns since at least 1990.

    Meanwhile, steelhead and cutthroat trout continue to draw anglers to the shores of the river where they fix lures and cast lines in search of the river’s most plentiful resource.

    Below the surface, though, a debate is raging.

    The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tacoma Power plan to unveil proposals for minimizing the amount of hatchery fish released into the wild in the coming years.

    It’s a move criticized by many sport fishermen who fear a reduction in production will result in a less active, potentially dead river.

    The issue will likely be debated during a public meeting Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Centralia College. The meeting will be held in Washington Hall room 103, and the discussion will focus on production levels of Cowlitz River trout and salmon species.

    The proposals were forged by the Cowlitz River Fisheries Technical Committee, an oversight group for the fisheries portion of Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Hydroelectric Project license. The group is working to update its hatchery management plan.

    Tacoma Power’s fisheries biologist Mark LaRiviere and Pat Frazier of the WDFW will each speak at the meeting, unveiling the proposals and taking comments and questions from attendees.

    Frazier could not immediately be reached for comment, but LaRiviere said the goal of the alternatives is simple: restore natural fish populations by reducing the amount of salmon and trout released from hatcheries.

    “The work we’re doing is a tangible outcome of our commitment to natural stock production with plans for continued hatchery production,” the Tacoma Power scientist said.

    LaRiviere declined to release the planned reduction levels for the hatcheries, though he said those numbers will be available at Thursday’s meeting.

    LaRiviere’s stance is not shared by Friends of the Cowlitz President Don Glaser.

    Glaser, who owns a store and campground near the popular fishing site at the Cowlitz barrier dam, said the actions planned by the WDFW and Tacoma Power could potentially kill off sport fishing on the river.

    He said there are few, if any, naturally produced fish living in the river and that reductions to hatchery stock would devastate fish runs that are currently healthy or recovering.

    “The way they’re going and what they’re saying, they’re heading to eliminate (hatchery) production altogether,” Glaser said.

    LaRiviere said hatcheries would remain a vital part of the production cycle, though there would be a net reduction in the amount of fish released.

    Glaser and others also disagree with the practice of shipping large quantities of surplus fish to canneries and food banks.

    Taken in tandem, Glaser said the moves will hurt the river and specifically those who fish on it.

    “If you take the Cowlitz River out of Lewis County, you might as well stick Lewis County in a ditch,” he said.

    Eric Schwartz: (360) 807-8245