The Adviser meeting was a little difficult due to the fact staff had little time to work with the technology, getting everyone on computers or phones up to speed . In the end we got through it and it worked out.

So bottom line, a couple of options emerged from staff and Advisers but nothing set as WDFW and the QIN will meet again to finalize things. No NT Commercial on the Hump but a rather extensive QIN fishery and the Rec season in undecided territory.

The proposed NT commercial schedule has some conflicts with the QIN schedule and the GHMP guidelines but it will be around 7 days in the last of October & maybe first week of Nov. For the QIN they appear to be going hard to the aggregate of all Grays Harbor streams and really came down hard on Chinook. With C&R on the Hump the NT share was several hundred below QIN harvest but the aggregate Grays Harbor Chinook escapement came up short. With the proposed NT Rec & Commercial on the Chehalis our impacts are minimal so for Chinook it is all about the QIN seasons.

Now the aggregate for Coho came up short on escapement but that was all about the Hump Coho being 4k or so short and that is an issue that has been around for 25 years or so in my mind it does not rock the boat. While the proposed NT seasons did comply with the GHMP there is a problem, sharing. The QIN have a right to 50% of the harvestable Grays Harbor fish that enter Washington waters. So those Coho caught in the marine by charters / trollers count in our share are charged to the NT so the NT share was well ahead of what it needed to be. Staff prepared an option that had a 2 fish Coho bag until Nov 1 and then a 1 fish bag Nov & Dec. An Adviser urged a 1 fish for the full season for everyone.

This more or less a down and dirty look at things and I am sure more to come. From my personal perspective this. The concept of 2 fish bag then 1 fish bag Nov 1 on places the greatest sharing burden on the local inland communities. Normally it rains around the first week of Nov and the river browns out. That ends the tidal water / bay fisheries and most of the out of area tourist type fishers. So in Nov it is about locals and more true sportsman and in Dec mostly locals. Another way to look at it is the fisheries be it QIN or NT based in the Aberdeen / tidal areas ( QIN go to South Monte also ) will reap the greatest benefit and the inland communities shoulder the conservation burden. The 4 / 3 provision ( three days a week net free ) was supposed to address this issue and does but this season maneuver is a bit of smoke and mirrors to get around that be it and indirect route.

That's about all I have for now. Oh, one more thing. Just so all know I have an Aberdeen address and fish tidal water exclusively. I benefit from the staff proposal and that was my point the pain should be equal for all not dumped on the inland communities. A bit of a hot button issue for me.