PORTLAND (AP) - An old idea for helping salmon is coming back into favor in Oregon and Northern California.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that fishermen, farmers and state officials are considering ways to plant salmon eggs in streams, either directly in the gravel or in perforated "hatchboxes."

The salmon restoration technique was developed in Alaska. Eggs and milt are stripped from adult salmon returning to spawn, and the eggs are fertilized in a bucket and incubated under controlled, disease free conditions from four to six weeks.

The eggs are then planted in gravel stream beds or placed in a perforated plastic box to shelter them underwater until they hatch.

While the method is appealing, some tribes and state agencies worry it could blur the distinction between wild salmon and hatchery fish.