Thanks for that tidbit Curt. 4% egg to migrant simply cannot replace itself. I think that corroborates my opinion for focusing on salvaging Stilly Chinook with a complete conservation hatchery program. The sooner the agencies focus on that and off of trying to solve the problem with fishing restrictions, the better.

After posting yesterday I thought about the PS Chinook genetic profiles. If my memory serves, Stilly Chinook are the closest genetic link to Skagit summers in PS. Makes sense, given that the Stilly is right next door to the Skagit.

C'man, spawning salmon are good gravel cleaners, but I don't think they are up to the task of cleaning the NF Stilly. I large hunk of Mt Higgans fell into the river almost 6 years ago, and similar, although smaller, slides have occurred over the past couple centuries. Movement of that quantity of sediment requires flows equal to the 2-year flood or greater many, many times to leave a channel bed of clean gravel. This is bigger than the DeForest Creek slide that occurred on Deer Creek back in the mid-80s. It took years to move that material out, and it added a lot of new real estate in the upper end of Port Susan. And not killing so many pink and chum is a good idea for a whole lot of ecological reasons.