Well NOF is done and update time. First up the ZOOM thing stinks up the place as whoever is managing it is still manipulating things to manage participation. This time I even requested time at the end to address a couple of things to Mr. Losee and as the Willapa bit finished up with 40 minutes left zip shut it down. They really don’t want to have any in depth look at things is my thought. Thing is I wanted to compliment Mr. Losee on something but looking back now that might have been a bit premature line of thought.

So why is this important? Well in the model I noticed that the Chinook were modeled to NOT make escapement. The answer to the question is important and Mac & Jim you were right as it does appear that something is going on. As I understand it when the QIN went through the process and got the Chehalis Chinook escapement goal reduced to 9753 there was something else in the document. The manner that wild spawners are counted was also changed to the allow the co-managers to count any fish spawning in the gravel as natural spawners but was not used until this year. This means a hatchery stray or broodstocked spawning in the gravel is counted as part of the wild spawn. So the WDFW model shows 8967 wild escapements but the QIN numbers are 10,418 wild. In other words the QIN and WDFW are counting fish differently. This was not the case until this year is my understanding.

Why is a good question and it is the Coho run size. Just like the Rec & NT Commercials throwing conservation overboard wanting expanded Coho harvest the QIN needed the extra Chinook impacts to get at the Coho. My bet is we miss Chinook and Chum escapement this year but it is dead Coho on everyone’s top ten. I have attached the model for everyone along with a spread sheet the shows the massive failures on escapement for the last ten years. So Mac your worse fears were true this harvest process is a mess.

For Recs it will be a two fish limit release Chinook with a little variation around jacks. To accomplish this the 3/5 5% limiter was stood down as was the three net free days. On the net free days the GHMP requires it be in a calendar week but to shoehorn a NT Commercial day it staff placed one day in another week. I objected but a NT Commercial put forth that the Commission authorized this but have since found out he was …ah miss informed but others use different words to describe putting false information out. So the GHMP was manipulated to allow wide open Coho harvest by us NT fishers and the QIN took advantage of something that few knew was allowed to increase the Coho catch. This whole thing is like watching starving dogs fight over a 2 lb. pot roast and it is not pretty. I am of the opinion that in the wild feeding frenzy I doubt conservation not of Coho but Chinook and Chum was even a thought for second.

Little edit: Last year we failed to make Chinook escapement, Coho were well above as were Chum coming in at 48,458