Smalma-
Larger escapements may not lead to larger returns when populations are at carrying capacity but can you really say our populations are at carrying capacity?? Does anyone even know what carrying capacity is for our rivers?? I would seriously liek to know because we always speak of escapements goals and what is needed to sustain a population but I really want to know how many indivuduals a population can sustain.

Do you know of any methods that are used to determine carrying capacity?? Is there a general rule that will define carrying capacity if one knows the minimum escapement goal?

Until we know these numbers, all wild steelhead should be released. Where else in society do we strive to be just okay, to just make the grade??? Being pleased with meeting the minimum escapement goal would be like a parent being pleased with their child because he passed a class with a D!! Do you we really want to praise the efforts of our managers/politicians etc. etc. because they achieved a 'D'?? I think we should be scloding them because they can only achieve a 'D' and nothing higher!!

I have heard that the SF Sky is at carrying capacity for coho. Do you know what the escapement goal is for the SK Sky on coho and what the actual carrying capacity is. It seems that since this is a closed system, if we sport fished and killed the catch and netted we could see the effects of those activities on populations that are at carrying capacity vs leaving letting the population be without a kill fishery and obivisouly not nets.

I dunno...its an idea pulled out of left field that is probally riddled with scientific holes but its late and Im tired and that is what happens when its late, Im tired and I start thinking.