It's good to see Salmo here, and many knowledgable people sharing thoughts and ideas of how best to respond and take action.

But I have very strong concerns. Salmo and Coho', you said you think the best alternative "is to list both Oregon coastal hatchery and wild coho as threatened". And under section 4(d) we will be allowed limited clipped hatchery sportfish harvest in some areas. Well, so very obvious to me is that this is a whole lot easier said than accomplished; given this precident setting Hogan Decision!

Special interest groups such as the timber industry, agricultural industry, barging industry, commercial trollers, commercial netters, Indian netters, and the electrical power industry, etc., are all going to have strong representation that hatchery fish are too plentiful to list as threatened. And since this legal Decision takes away the distinction, it appears the protections can be taken away from wild stocks as well; as long as there are good numbers of the fish combined. Look at the regional hordes of fish the last two years, and likely in the next few years also.

I see this as a golden opp for the special interests to get back to HABITAT AND RESOURSE DEGREDATION for the dollars scenario. And for the commercial fishers and Indian fishers to net wild runs into extinction, enabling them to make eventual claims against the Feds for financial recourse for the decimation of the fish. I can see the claims coming. Billions will be asked for by the Tribes and millions by the commercial guys, and asking addtional for license and boat buy outs, after the wild fish are gone and hatchery funding gets lowered in the economic times to come.

OK, this is a worst case scenario. But it is now possible as it stands. How many of you think we can get hatchery fish listed as endangered in the present climate, or for the foreseeable future? Especially with special interest group "fish counters" putting their numbers on the table? I'm now very much more concerned for the habitat and for wild fish runs where they still exist!

For the fish and for us sportfishers, I see this as likely having to go thru the legislative route, to enact other laws to protect habitat now. A big part of that will be getting the hundreds of thousands of sportsfishers out of their historic lethergy and into writing campaigns, and giving of money to political lobbying entities and efforts, such as the RFA, to get to where we want to go. Unfortunately, I am not optimistic about general sportfisherman committment. I've been beating that dying horse for a long while now. Maybe this will be what it takes to get them as a group united in doing what has to be done - WRITING REPS AND GIVING MONEY FOR OUR LOBBYISTS AND CAMPAIGNS!

We are now going to find out!

RT