Jeffhead,

Thanks for your questions!

Maybe you should read what the "emphasis of Tacoma's Settlement Agreement" really was!

It's a bad deal on, and for the the Cowlitz River!

This is quoted from the Tacoma Power's web sit concerning the Cowlitz and the "settlement Agreement":

"Fisheries management on the Cowlitz River currently depends primarily on hatchery production of salmon and steelhead, with less emphasis on wild salmon populations. This is contrary to the priority for wild salmon recovery brought about by listings of some salmon species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The emphasis of the relicensing settlement agreement is ecosystem integrity and the restoration and recovery of wild, indigenous salmonid runs, including ESA-listed and unlisted stocks, to harvestable levels. Fisheries management and hatchery production will be consistent with the overall goal of restoring and recovering wild stocks in the Cowlitz River basin…"

Jeff,
You are dead right about the flow issue! That is exactly why we (CPR-Fish and FOC) appealed WDOE issuing Tacoma Power the 401 permit! They did not take into consideration the current existing flows that were established and needed to maintain the existing "recreational fishing"!!

Because of our law suit, last year Tacoma Power was doing their best PR work with flows!!!

BUT…FERC issued Tacoma their new license and all the old flow agreements and old rules are now off! That's another reason why we appealed their (Tacoma) 401 permit.

According to the most current WDFW Hatchery Escapement Report (October 17, 2002), they (WDFW) claim to have had only 5895 adults to date. That figure most likely is pretty erroneous and probably does not include the fish that they have given to the "food banks" or passed above the fish rack.

I hope that this has answered most of your question.

Cowlitzfisherman
Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????