Kind of agree and disagree with cohoangler. WB was never much for Chinook production. Not the right habitat. It could, arguably, support a massive Socialist Chinook Hatchery Program to prop up the gill netters. We know enough timing, and selection for timing, to create a net fishery for Chinook with an ancillary production to the ocean rec fisheries and maybe some more or less minor bay and river Chinook fisheries. The watershed was certainly a chum producer and the number fo chum that successfully spawn in many PS creeks suggest to me that an escapement in few millions of chum would not only support the ecosystem but provide a modest net and rec harvest. I mean 10% of a million is 100K... The large chum escapement would fuel a strong coho run, which should provide decent bay and river fishing and support a strong wild steelhead run.

All of this COULD be done, but won't be.

I also disagree that WDFW's mission statement favors "commercial". It speaks to the fishing industry, which includes rec and commercial. Now, the Commercials have a number of legislators in their corner. I also believe that the rest of the State's managers and co-mangers do not want to try to see what ecosystem-based escapements would do as that would set a very bad precedent for the rest of the state.