Ironically, the mobile marking trailer I've heard about for two years showed up last month, and we just used it last week. Prior to that, it was used in a Tofino hatchery to mark chum. I'm very excited that we now have a unit on the coast that is working. I'm very excited this week.
Regarding sea penning, I must say, with all due respect to Ms. Schmitt, that I swim rivers along with lots of other seasoned biologists, and we've yet to see an S1 in the wild, so this is definitely a life history that is more conducive to glacial-fed streams on the mainland coast, and she's used that technology to introduce them onto the island.
Unfortunately, facing climate change and warming waters, the S1strategy is not necessarily something that is natural, but as for the sea penning that you speak of, yes, we've done sea penning, and to take the fry from the hatchery at five grams and put them in a sea pen at the mouth is very, very important for imprinting to that natal stream. In two weeks they double in size, and we have exponential survival.