Cowlitzfisherman,

You know the Cowlitz fishery better than I probably ever will, so I'm not bothered by what you post here. Yet, honest people can respectfully disagree. I'm sorry that you think the Cowlitz fishery is doomed. Personally, I think the fishery became doomed when the wild runs were wiped out by the dams in the late 60s and early 70s. The hatchery only fishery of the last 30 years was always at risk of not being sustainable in the long term. That risk was realized in the poor returns of recent years. Hatchery runs don't always deliver the goods.

It is largely WDFW who will determine if large runs of hatchery steelhead and coho return in future years. The coho return to the Cowlitz depends more on the number of days of Lower Columbia River gillnet fishing than hatchery production or ocean survival.

I get my information on steelhead stocks from two sources: WDFW and FOC. Frankly, I find WDFW's info more credible. WDFW says the hatchery late winter steelhead are genetic descendants of native Cowlitz stock, and that hatchery early winter steelhead are a mix of native Cowlitz and Chambers Creek stock. WDFW gave the later winters the priority for ESA recovery, and NMFS seems to have agreed. WDFW can continue to release hatchery early winter and Skamania summer steelhead smolts, but NMFS doesn't want those adults to be passed upstream of the dams where most of the ESA recovery will occur.

So I don't know why either the early winter or summer run hatchery fish would become a thing of the past. Has NMFS or WDFDW made ruling that I haven't heard about? I read that Tacoma recommends elimination of the early winter hatchery steelhead program, but I have no indication that WDFW will go for it. It's not the feds' turf, so it's doubtful they'll weigh in on it.

BTW, I didn't forget to mention that 50% of "true Cowlitz winter steelhead" returned from Nov-Jan. I never knew that and still don't. Records for almost all western WA rivers indicate native steelhead didn't show many fish until January, with just a smattering in December and fewer still in November. Was the Cowlitz really any different? If so, are there any data to support it? I thought WDFW was choosing to reduce emphasis on early winter hatchery production because high river flows in Dec and Jan. contribute to poor catch rates. If they have other reasons, I haven't heard about them.

Tacoma's settlement agreement focuses on restoring ESA species because that's the law. Your preference and my preference don't really count for much in that context. (As you know, if the summer run fishery is discontinued, there goes 90% of my Cowlitz fishing.) Only native species/stocks are slated for recovery, but there is continued mitigation and enhancement for unlisted fish like coho and "exotics" like summer steelhead.

I repect you as a friend and your point of view on too many things to really be interested in a one-on-one. However, we may debate the few things we actually seem to disagree on, as we always have.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.