lifter99-

Maybe I was not clear the thought behind my regulation proposals (Selective gear rules and CnR) was aimed at the resident life history of O. mykiss. It is becoming more and more clear that having a relatively robust resident rainbow population co-exisiting with the steelhead provide a "safety net" for the total population during periods of low survival of the anadromous steelhead. Resident fish produce some steelhead smolts and steelhead produce some resident fish.

With resident populations those more restrictive regulations have a long track record of positive benefits for the resident populations - high standing crops and older fish in the population.

Curt