head hunter,
Nice post and I think your right about the high seas fish as far as our Salmon go. But I think our wild steelhead problem is a bit different and correct me if I'm wrong but Steelhead while in the ocean stay close to the shoreline from the time they enter the ocean till the time they return to the rivers. If that is true then we must look at their demise differently. Having talked with a good friend who used to gill net years ago he said that unless they were fishing the places like the Hood cannal with a narrow body of water they all most never picked up a Steelhead. He also mentioned that in the early 70's the Native americans were allowed to target Steelhead in the Sound and would set their gill nets right next to the shoreline. If this is true then our wild steelhead are a least out of danger from high seas netting but our salmon are not. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about Steelhead migration.