Although I am a beliver in the 3H principle I have to say that fish will find a way. I don't know how many of you are from the California area but about 8 or 9 years ago an article in the San Jose Mercury News caught my attention. Basically after a 30 year period of not a single Chinook being seen in the Guadalupe river a run of about 50 to 100 fish started by itself. Now this river runs right through downtown, through culverts, drainages and other seemingly unnavigable waters. It would have to first cross water in the San Francisco Bay that is more poluted than anything we have in the Sound and so thoroughly changed in quality that many of the species that are found in the Bay are listed as unhealthful to eat. These salmon were watched by the biologists and only after some homeless people started catching the fish and eating them did it make the news. This was 4 years after the first return run was noted! By then the run was getting so big that it began to garner public support to change the river back to its more natural shape and condition. streets were torn up, culverts dug up, drainages blocked and polution cleaned up. The run improved and finally will be made to be legal to fish. All of this after a 30 year hiatus. Genetic testing showed that these fish were not hatchery origin! Surprising since there is such a small run of native fish there.

Imagine, a city the size of Seattle with a river that has been the cesspool for years covered so that cars and business could do what they want, ripping up and changing back as close to origional that same river that runs through its heart. Cool. No one planned it. No one prepped the river first. No one planted hatchery raised fish first. No one stopped hatcheries from cranking out as many fish for the ocean fishery as possible....what did they do? They had a moritorium on salmon fishing in the bay area. Open ocean, o.k. Bay - no no. They gave nature a chance to do what she does best. Overcome, and heal. This applied to sport, commercial and indian.

Instead of ripping each other a new one over what group should do what - all of us should cut back on how much we take. If we cut in half the number of fish taken each year then there would be that many more fish available to spawn and increase the size of the runs. Think about it - after 10 years we could really have something to talk about not complain about.

Yes, dams and issues will remain to be dealt with but lets let nature figure out how many fish a river or system will hold....before we came alond who determined the escapement level? I say let us all cut our take, let nature determine the # of fish a system will handle and then enjoy the increased opportunity for all.