If you want to know what impact releasing all wild steelhead (by sprotsanglers) would have on the tribal allocation, look at the Columbia Springer allocation. Sports anglers release all wild fish, which allows the tribes to use nearly all the native mortality allocation(13.5% for tribes as opposed to 0.7% for sportsanglers). Our only mortality on wild fish is the incidental kill from C & R. We really made progress with this agreement.

Its different in the area's that I fish, as there is already C & R for all wild steelhead and no tribal netting. We still don't have very good returns.

As I see it, until the tribes recognize there is difference in Wild vs. Hatchery origin Steelhead, they will not release wild fish. They will simply step in to take the allocation that sportsanglers give up.

Don't get me wrong, in a perfect world all wild steelhead would be released.