Parker,

You're such a kid.

Salmo did in fact go out for a day of steelheading on the Skykomish River in 1973. He saw 2 jetboats and 8 driftboats. Salmo got skunked that day, but did see 4 steelhead caught. Since hatchery steelhead were not ad clipped, and we hadn't learned to check for deformed dorsal fins, Salmo has no idea which ones were hatchery fish and which were wild. Catching a dozen wild steelhead in a day would have been a longshot, even in 1973. There were still good numbers of wild steelhead, but they were declining precipitously - but we didn't figure that out until a few years after the fact. And there is no indication whatever that it had anything to do with the Boldt Decision - for the Sky anyway. The Tulalip Tribe's interception of steelhead was pretty modest.

In 2006 there are more steelhead in the Sky than in 1973, however, they are predominantly hatchery origin fish. Reiter ponds came on line with returning fish in 1975 and 76, with increased winter steelhead smolt plants and the inaugeration of the hatchery summer steelhead program.

Ain't history cool? Do we ever learn anything from it?