AuntyM -
The "ditiches" would not be used as spawning habitat but rather for short term rearing in the estuary. A typical life history for Puget Sound chinook is for small fry (1.5 inches long) to drop down to the estuary and feed in the blind channels in the tidal marshes. They usually spend 4 to 6 weeks in those areas - typically until they grow to 2.5 to 3 inches in length. This not only increases the potential rearing habitats (capable of producing more fish) but the survival to adulthood of the larger fry is dramatically higher than if the smaller fish were to have gone directly to sea. This short term estuarian rearing is even more important when freshwater rearing habitats are limiting. Our alterations of our rivers have greatly reduced their capacity to support rearing juvenile salmon.

Beezer -
I agree that we as a society should probably help to reimburse the farmers. However I doubt that we collectively are willing to do so. If we as a society can take acres and acres of prime ag land in Skagit County and convert it to car lots, strip malls, housing developments, etc I feel we lose the argument that we can't afford to restore those historic lower estuary lands back to productive fish and wildlife habitats. At a bare minimum we should at least stop destroying what little remains.

Tight Lines
Smalma