As he was finishing up with his time with WDFW Harry sited the Humptulips Hatchery with the primary goal being hatchery Coho for the marine fisheries. Locals wanted a different location upstream but the present location was chosen. This back fired when power rates went up as it was a pumped station. Additionally the Humptulips was not a major Coho stream so a weir was not needed or so goes the thought back then. There was substantial straying for years for sure but it was not high on the list of concerns for the reasons outlined above and feds and tribes managed to the Grays Harbor escapement goal.

Then when Tim Flint was the harvest manager WDFW separated the Hump and Chehalis to be managed separately and again WDFW and WDFW alone does that for the Humptulips. Since that time for a bunch of reasons the hatchery productions has been drastically reduced and a part time pipeline from Stevens Cr is used for some of the water needs.

With the bay area B closed for harvest it is the ocean to get Humptulips Coho. While inriver gets some the fish make the movement from the ocean to hatchery and outside a get it is difficult to catch them in large numbers. The forecasted hatchery return is 26,129 and of that the combined harvest tribal and NT is 9,463 fish. The wild forecast is 4,358 with combined harvest impacts of 2,305 with the QIN portion being 2146.

I guess the question to ask is how is WDFW counting spawners? For Chinook in the Chehalis the QIN (and everyone but WDFW) count any Chinook spawning in the gravel as part of the natural spawn regardless of origin. So WDFW is counting Chinook one way everyone else another. I agree with Doc that just how the Humptulips wild spawning goal was established is a good question. Also just what matrix was used to define habitat and areas with spawning availability.

With area B remaining closed for terminal harvest it is doubtful any group of harvesters will ever have real access to Humptulips hatchery Coho.