I have just read the most recent reply and posting by "Salmo G" to "RT's" posting of the "Cowlitz Controversies" First, anyone who has read Salmo G reply to RT by now must have figured out that "Salmon G" must have been a "player" in the new "Cowlitz River Settlement Agreement" to have known so much about the "facts" of this agreement simply requires it. It is also my opinion that "Salmo G" may have sold out the sport fishermen for a "wild" fish dream that just won't ever come to be a reality!

I have attended every "technical" and relicensing meeting of the Cowlitz since it had started way back in early 1996 (hundreds of them) and have first hand knowledge of just how bad the "Settlement Agreement" really is. I must say that I, along with the Friends of the Cowlitz, CPR-Fish and the Cowlitz Tribe were appalled by how this "Agreement" was manipulated by members of the NMFS, USFWS, WDFW, American Rivers and Trout Unlimited.

Make no mistake about it; the NMFS representative was the number one player who formed and crafted this deal with Tacoma that almost guarantees that the Cowlitz will never again see large returning numbers of mixed stocks of steelhead, or large numbers of returning coho in the coming future. NMFS were also the ones that almost guarantee that you will never see any fish ladders over Mayfield or Mossyrock Dams for the next 35 years. NMFS only requested truck and haul (that's on the record). NMFS also were the ones who almost certainly guaranteed that our summer runs would become a thing of the past.

As for WDFW, they were just along for the ride during the entire relicensing process. Trout Unlimited (TU) and American (AR) were also just hanging onto the rear bumper. The only ones that were in the driver seat, heading in the right direction were Friends of the Cowlitz (FOC), Cowlitz Plan for Restoration (CPR-Fish) and the Cowlitz Tribe (all refused to sign the settlement agreement). FOC, CPR-Fish, TU, AR and the Cowlitz tribe were all working together until Tacoma Power called its cards in.

Think about this one; The Agreement now calls for restoring only the "late" portion of returning winter run stocks of steelhead. Someone in WDFW magically found some special unique genetic stock of "late" steelhead that is completely different then any other late stock on the Lower Columbia and then decided that they would allow all other possible stocks of Cowlitz steelhead to vanish forever just because they may have been influence by Camber Creek stocks. The records clearly show that all Cowlitz steelhead stocks have been genetically mixed long before the hatchery was ever dreamed of.

Salmo G forgets to tell you that 50% of the true Cowlitz winter run steelhead originally returned from November through January and that the remaining 50% returned in late February through April. So why not restore the whole runs? There is a simple answer to that one. If WDFW was to allow the restoration of the Cowlitz historic "early" winter run Cowlitz steelhead (November-February) stocks, WDFW would then have to discontinue, or at the very lease cut back its massive commercial gillnetting season on the Lower Columbia River to protect these November retuning steelhead stocks.

There is no question in my mind that a few people who love and live for wild fish have now developed a failed plan that will change the need of the many to only benefit the needs of a few. I am all for restoring wild fish runs, but way too much has been done on the Cowlitz to allow that to ever happen now. Can the watershed above the dams be used for "Natural" production of Cowlitz fish… you bet it can! NMFS, USFWS, WDFW and Tacoma have all known about the disease problems at the hatcheries for many, many years but have done almost nothing to correct them. Instead, they have all waited until relicensing time to attempt to correct them. That's what has happen to our Cowlitz fish runs! Both NMFS and USFWS could have used their powers under the Federal Power Act over 30 years ago to demand down stream fish collection facilities at Mossyrock Dam, but instead chose to develop and maintain a 100% hatchery stock run. In 1985 WDFW was and still is mandated by Washington law to develop a plans to restore the "natural" fish runs on the Cowlitz and Tilton Rivers but has failed to do either.

People like Salmo G and a few others won't like what I have stated, but I will be willing to go one on one on this BB to address any issue about the Cowlitz, which they may choose.

signed,

Cowlitz fisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook?