Well, given the ESA listing of Puget Sound Chinook any hatchery fish on the spawning grounds are "excess" and undesirable.

In part because of that perception and exacerbated by funding woes there has been a huge decrease in Puget Sound Chinook hatchery production.

Todd pretty much summed up the issue. If we want to produce more hatchery fish into the system (in addition to and/or in lieu of reduction of pinniped predation) under the current ESA and HGMP constraints there needs to be a way to ensure that hatchery returns spawning naturally need to be minimized.

Is use of gillnets the appropriate answer? The fact that they are non-selective certainly makes their use counter-intuitive but there may be circumstances where they are the best tool.

My gut says ban them.....my brain says a complete ban may have unintended adverse consequences given our current complex constraints.

Time for a tall glass of something to quell my conflicts.