bodysurf

I think that most people believe that it better to error on the side of the fish when the returns numbers may be in question. But on the Cowlitz, this year, that is not the concern. The average pre-dam returns of coho on the Cowlitz were 25,000 adults back to the rack (Barrier Dam)

Like I said earlier in my reply to 4S; "How much "insurance" do you need for "hatchery fish? Let's see one more time; the hatchery needs are 10,000 at best, and you have over 80,000 + adults returning equals: 700% over insured! Well, I would say that just may be a "little bit of an overkill", wouldn't you?


Even if the coho run got screwed somewhere along the line and only half of the half of the 80,000 fish returned (40,000), that would still leave an excess of historical returns numbers by still 15,000 adults!

You asked; "how many of those will be sent upstream like they have been?" Well, my guess will be anything with a coded wire tag in its head gets killed and sent to the processors or a food bank. That number may be as high as 3 or 4 thousand fish. The hatchery will probably keep about 4000 adults for their egg needs, but often keep double that amount for "insurance". If they don't need that insurance, they often dump extra feed fry into Riffe Lake. The rest will most likely be hauled up river and released.

Here the funny part about how screwed up the WDFW management can be. On the Lower Cowlitz (from Mayfield Dam down stream) you are allowed to keep 3 adult coho. From Peters Road above the Cowlitz Falls Dam, you are only allowed to keep 2 adult coho. Can you explain the reasoning for that? By far, their will be 10 times more coho up there to catch then down below the dams and yet the limit remains at 2 adults. Why?

It only took 25,000 adults to maximize the historical spawning production for coho above the dams, and that was when we still had over 90% of our natural habitat left. For the last 4 years, the problem has not been that we weren't getting enough natural production from the coho that have been passed above the dams; the problem has been that the fish collection facilities is only catching less then half of the smolts that are coming down river!

Until WDFW and the NMFS gets their act together and forces the LCPUD, BPA, and Tacoma to spend the money that is needed to improve the fish collection facilities at either the Cowlitz Falls Dam or Mossyrock Dam (Riffe Lake) there should be no reason why fishermen should not be able to enjoy the same 3 fish limit that WDFW has provided down below the dam!

There is no reason why the limit for coho on the Cowlitz River this year should be no less then 6 adults!

OK Rob, now that is science, not just a opinion! It's based on history, math, and fact!


Cowlitzfisherman