Interesting you bring that up SF. When the departments merged they changed Puyallup hatchery operations, by moving steelhead production from the Puy trout hatchery and some other locations to Voights. Never was the same after that. Upper Puy hatchery release locations such as, hwy 162 bridges, McMillin, 116th, BMX, Antones, all stopped, returns fell along with catches. Supposedly 250-350k plants, if legit, produced squat out of Voights, compared to 100-200k distributed around to above locations. Another declining cause, was the elimination of the Carbon/ Puy broodstock program in the early 80's. It was just seeing returns getting going when lethal spawning wilds became an issue and shut it down. Bottom line is to many predators in Puget Sound feasting on Salmonids, the ongoing migration research shows it. No gonads to manage the seals and cormorants. Today I think there are good enough wild Puy numbers for a C&R fishery in Feb. and March, just no way to prove it, and the tribe will never buy into it anyway. Sucks balz!!!
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"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller.
Don't let the old man in!