Silver,

I usually agree with your posts, but I gotta call bunk on the last one here. The Puget Sound enhancement fee, 10 bucks, that we've been paying for several years now was specifically introduced to boost hatchery production of Puget Sound chinook for recreational YEAR ROUND fishing, not the limited windows of opportunity we are being dealt now. First it was an additional fee added to the license and the fees were targeted directly at the hatcheries. Now, it is included in the general license fee which is in turn rolled into the WDFW general fund. There goes your hatchery funding! There is another thread going on here about this issue, "Latest State budget news".
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=008389

The so call 30 dollar tabs initiative is not even germain to hatchery funding, especially given the fact that the legislature in years past instead of using the vehicle excise tax to build the infrastucture of roads and bridges as that tax was created and intended for, instead took the money and rolled it into the general fund where we all know, the number of questionable spending programs is a bottomless pit. They abused that tax and didn't use it as intended. The initiative certainly did reduce funding for a lot of things, and no doubt there have been some hardships to endure. However, it is not even remotely responsible for hatchery closures, but the abuse of the enhancement fee most definiteley is.

Just another opinion!!!