Lot of outrage over the Steelhead shut down and my phone has my ears are on fire. So this, yes the returns to Wynoochee trap and Lake Aberdeen are above average and the Skookumchuck is way above previous years. Now the but thing, if the QIN had continued fishing the numbers would have been much lower at the facilities. So numbers are way up to be sure but minus normal tribal harvest both QIN & Chehalis tribe which are charged to non treaty ( us ) not QIN.

Now that said looking to the 2016/ 2017 run reconstruction the ten year average Wild Steelhead is 94 mortalities due to C&R ( some years much more some years lower it is a average ) for the REC fisheries. Also on average the REC fisher harvest more Steelhead due to selective fishing ( more when you add in Summerrun ) but their impact on Wild is much lower.

So the question I got the most was more or less this, " If C&R purpose is to allow Rec fishers to minimize wild impacts all the time in both good years and bad why when you have a down year are we being penalized because both tribal fisheries are non selective as Gillnets cannot minimize Wild impacts but the Rec can." I honestly do not know but I do believe that the preseason forecast is a load of BS just as in the Springer forecast that came twice plus numbers forecast. I imagine this shutdown is like the Springer fiasco and it is Chad Herring up through the Harvest Policy line in Olympia that made the decision. Mr. Losee does not do harvest in GH & Willapa since they created Mr. Herrings position before he got the Regional Manager position.

This link is to the hatchery escapement reports and you can pull up
this and previous years to see for yourself.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/hatcheries/escapement