Some have asked about the 40K hatchery that was forecast. That number includes the Wishkah at Mayres, Aberdeen Lake, and Skookumchuck miitigation Coho and I do believe Bingham Lates. None of these are large smolt releases but added together are a substantial number. So yes one could say the the Satsop Hatchery Coho returns are looking to be around 50% of the forecast or maybe not. 2023 at present H Coho are at 19,208 and W 2562 which is down about 500 wild fish from 2022. All numbers for returns are after anticipated harvest and that is the thing. It is thought that QIN Coho numbers were way down and we know NT commercials were. So he hatchery returns we see include fish that should have been caught in commercial fisheries which makes 19,208 not exactly a great number. The 2023 anticipated QIN harvest of Coho in the first two weeks of November was 4810 with only 1985 being hatchery. So the Rec fishers with our good river conditions are getting a shot at fish tha normally would be harvested. Total runsize is another matter all together and that is why knowing the QIN harvest numbers matter for those who care about conservation and the fish.

The other question was the portionality of H&W in November. That always varies but years back WDF used run compression in an attempt to create a early timed Coho by taking all eggs as early in the run has possible. In more recent times this practice was ended but the hatchery Coho are still more in the earlier part of the run. So as we go through November the H /W ration ends up being dominated by the wild returns. Rain can mess this up by raining early or dry years move the fish to the later weeks of November and then we have fish do what fish do and that is never the same year to year.