It was pretty simple for the co-managers this year. Given the low forecast of Stilly Chinook, exploitation was limited to 8% on unmarked stilly fish and 12% on marked stilly fish as laid out in the Puget sound chinook recovery plan. In the past, the state usually took a higher percentage of the impacts for this stock compared to the co-managers. This year, they demanded they wanted half the impacts which forced the state to make up the difference. Advisors were asked whether summer or fall fisheries were more important and the overall concensus was summer fisheries. So, to meet the co-managers half way at 6%, cuts were made to most all winter fisheries. Unless the Puget Sound Recovery Plan is updated to alter these impacts or if Stilly fish start returning at a higher abundance (1,500+), we aren’t getting blackmouth back.

Amazing how the co-managers were able to use catch of ad-marked fish as the thing that ends winter fishing in Puget sound.