Flea..
While I understand and on some point agree with your comments and frustration, I think for this whole scenario you're kinda painting with a broad brush.

After having a pretty frank discussion with people that have seen your other comments I disagree with your assertion that they are just trading fish from one to the other and that the QIN have a hand in the ruling... the data supports the assumption of what in river pressure could have on kegged up fish.. the dissolved oxygen counts in all tribs is getting low to the point of the crucial cut-off for salmon to survive, coupled with high water Temps and data that we KNOW and have discussed here on this site, and indeed this thread at length on Lactic acid build up, it's dispersal time and the associated health issues from it. A fishery with 100% legal AND ethical fisherman would still..in my opinion.. have a negative and detrimental affect to the stocks with these current conditions, that's my opinion, boots on the ground everyday working these tribs.

When it comes to snagging and its associated issues, I gotta say I am quite disappointed and surprised at your assumptions to the effect that it causes...
Once again I will refer to lactic acid buildup, of course energy lost from the fish(which is finite)..do i really need to comment on HOW people release snagged fish? It certainly isnt done with "care" by most anglers, especially the knuckledraggers that employ the tactics on a regular, that right there accounts for a large jump in % to that fish ending up as a statistic.

But you also need to be aware of the other tertiary issues from snagging such as ANY time that the belly wall is punctured the chance of premortality grows exponentially, but the real issue is that even if that fish were to survive to the redd, the minute water gets into that belly cavity of a female the eggs are toast and a decent % of them will become unviable..

We can also extrapolate that data to the redd where, if that female has unviable eggs now we are not just losing that fishes production but that of the MULTIPLE males milt associated with her that could have gone to a viable female.
-seeing recent posts of guys that I know were flossing or lining fish on the humptulips talking about going 2 for 23 fish in a day, how many of the 21 that got away had these issues? How were they released?

Just one example of other effects illegal/unethical fishing has on the stock as a byproduct....and no, I certainly don't agree that poaching INCREASES during river closures. Simply put, unless it's landowners, people parking anywhere near a river are suspect to wardens. And as a surveyor who is in closed waters a lot the evidence of fishing pressure doesn't pencil out to your broadly painted assumption.


I'm not happy with the way these regs came out, I think we should have had more warning for the public and I DO think we could have squeezed out some more opportunities in GH and willipa bay tribs(what up with the mark-selective fishery?) But it is what it is right now and from someone who has been on the water counting the premorts, and as a avid fisherman in this area I agree that *while some finer details could have been better* we are on the right path for these stocks while mother nature holds us ransom for rain.

I hope you find some opportunities to get out and enjoy what you can. This sh!t isn't easy for any of us.
I'd rather not get into a pissing match with you on policy, being that as a worker bee it's not my place, I'm just telling you what I see in the field, boots on the ground and my background of being a second generation fisheries biologist/technician and of knowing these systems pretty well working them and fishing them since the late 90s