I bet the thing in the back of many minds (including mine) is the fear that giving up hatchery fish opportunities is likely to NOT lead to larger wild fish runs eventually.

The problem is complex, and reducing hatchery impacts will not equal fish recovery. Fish populations have been in decline for more than 100 years. It has been overharvest, habitat loss AND hatchery problems that have caused the decline.

While WT's goal may be admirable, if coho and steelhead hatcheries are cut back, the end result will be more pressure to take wild fish. Remember, setting fishing seasons is not based on science, purely. It's science and political pressure. I still see harvest of wild chinook allowed, even though the species is threatened and the population is supposed to be recovering.

No wonder the skepticism. And so, instead of just chinook being listed, we could end up with lots of listed species.