In some respects I think that the endaangered Species Act is the worst thng that has happened to salmon management and salmon fishers. Before anyone dies of apoplexy let me give one example, but there are many many more. Back in '74 the Toutle was in my patrol area. In the fall it was stuffed full of chinook from the mouth all the way u into the Green and beyond. Lots of spawning activity. This was common for many, many years prior. The hatchery produced healthy fish. Ocean seasons were from April to October for both chinook and coho. Wild salmon spawned and crossed with hatchery in the river. Survival of the fittest (fish) prevailed and it seemed obvious that evolution worked. I think the same conditions worked on many rivers with strong hatchery programs. Admittedly ocean conditions were different.
Taking a step farther back in time, another fifty years or so, we, the government, decided to expand our population with associated construction and of course, dams. As we gradually lost our good fish habitat, the government said "don't worry, we'll build hatcheries to make up for the loss of salmon." Now where are we? Raising fish that we can't fish for because of ESA. Think about this from the tribal pespective.