I don't find WT's agenda to be hidden at all...go to their website and check it out, it's right out in the open.

Their agenda is to do whatever they can to protect and perpetuate wild fish runs in Washington.

While this may often time work to the benefit of sportfishermen, it doesn't always.

Last year they fought the tribes, along with PSA, to limit tribal fishing in puget sound...which definitely benefitted the rest of us.

Now they're targeting hatcheries or hatchery practices that affect wild chinook, which doesn't benefit recreational fishers.

The goal is the same...to protect wild chinook. It hasn't changed just because the user group affected has changed.


That being said...it seems to me that IF there is indeed illegal predation upon wild chinook fry by hatchery smolts, then one of two things can be done. One, WDFW can apply for a 4(d) exemption to incidentally "take" wild chinook fry during normal hatchery operations, or two, hatchery smolts must be released before they are large enough to predate upon wild chinook fry.

Hopefully there will be those, and other, opportunities to solve the alleged problem without shutting down all hatchery production.

Fish on...

Todd.