A couple responses:

Larry B - I understand your point. However, Todd’s response is exactly correct. If we harvest 99 fish out of 100, and marine mammals take the last one, we blame the marine mammals for the resulting extinction. That is what is happening here. I don’t doubt that NRKW are taking more Chinook than we’d like them to, but if there were more large Chinook, there would be more for the SRKW’s.

Smalma – Agree almost entirely with your post.

However, I’m not sure that gill nets in Puget Sound can result in smaller size at maturity. For the most part, gill nets are deployed in or near the home river. That being the case, the fish that are returning have already reached their terminal body size. They ain’t getting any bigger. They’ve done all the growing they’re going to do. Not so for harvest in the open ocean. Any salmon that is still in the feeding/growing stages along the coast (or in PS) will continue to grow until it’s caught or eaten, or begins their trek back home.

So commercial/recreational trolling for Chinook while they’re in their feeding phase will contribute directly to a smaller size at maturity of the surviving adults. Terminal harvest, by whatever means, does not contribute directly to smaller size at maturity.