Salmo,

Yes, steelhead are far and few between in my neck of the woods. And with this year's snow pack they will be in even shorter supply!

Which would I choose? In light of the recent returns to the Puget Sound rivers I would have to choose the conservative route of closure to attempt to hold on to every possible spawner. Hopefully things for the sound take a turn for the better and follow the trend found on the Oregon coast where runs are rebuilding quite well. When that happens I also hope the division takes the same conservative approach by considerably raising the escapement figures that should allow a larger buffer for the next population recession.

William