Okay more on all of this

The majority of the returnees do come back early which is the goal of the project ...

Smalma, at 5 days a week, we're pretty sure the Quillayutes taking more than 55-60% of the run ... lots of fish go bye-bye w/o fish tickets so we'll never know those numbers for sure nor will we know the exact return we get off Snider since that timeframe is netted so heavily.

One only needs to listen to some of old timers and even some of the younger community members to see how things have changed. I'm not talking tall "fish stories", but more down to earth visualzations of what was present many decades ago (before many fisheries actual suffered some lower returns in the 60's on the heels of terrible logging practices). We're talking of how local residents would simply go down to pretty much any hole on any of the rivers in the days before Christmas to obtain a couple of steelhead for dinner ... and not our typical Chambers fish ... many many recount tales of mid 20's fish on the table for Christmas. There are few of these around anymore.

Until we see some reduction in harvest pressure on our early fish NM, I don't think we'll see the desire on this end to end the program. We have however, "voluntarily" (with some state prodding) cut the plants back to 50,00 the past few years.

Given we generally use less than 50 fish nowadays, we're certainly seeing more back than we're taking. There is no objective for fish of a ceratin size like a tribal program down the coast ... we're simply looking to maintain a certain timing of the run that is under tremendous pressure (partially because of the Chambers fish). Some Snider fish are big, some small, some inbetween, different life cycles are being observed, some repeats ... that's what we're trying to do ... keep things as close to what Ma Nature intended as possible. If there comes a day we have no kill for sporties and we can get the tribe to back off the 5 day a week schedule ... perhaps there will no longer be a pressing need to help this portion of the run as much.

B Gray ... I forgot to mention that the Calawah portion would be an entirely separate program. There is no intention of planting 'Duc fish elsewhere.

Smalma ... As I mentioned, Snider is above the fishing deadline on the 'Duc so there is no hatchery meat hole ... although more than a few anglers have been caught poaching there. Lots of folks watch it closely and many know the warden personally (as in home & cell number) and he's been known to make runs up there on any report of illegal activity