Decades ago WDF made a concerted effort to fully and clearly explain management to any sport or commercial user who asked. That action defused a lot of the mistrust flowing then. It would appear that WDFW needs to reprise that effort.
I know that the users still did not always agree with what was done but they knew why it was done. I do believe that there are drivers of management that the managers don't want users aware of.
As far as I know, the only driver of management that WDFW doesn't want users to be aware of is that the treaty tribes are now managing non-treaty recreational fishing. WDFW caves to the treaty demands during those "closed door" NOF meetings so that WDFW can claim plausible deniability. WDFW claims the management action is "necessary" for conservation - usually for wild Chinook. But look how the entire Quilayute system is closed to make hatchery Chinook escapement on the Sol Duc even though no one is going to be out looking to collect hatchery broodstock on all those other tributaries that are now closed. And now the same with the Snohomish system, all closed to protect Chinook except for the short reach between Hwy 2 bridge and the forks upstream of Reiter Ponds hatchery steelhead rearing site. The basin could be left open to fishing for game fish species with restrictions on methods that target Chinook along with non-retention of any Chinook hooked incidentally.
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