bodysurf

There is no "mass" marking of hatchery chinook in the Chehalis basin, nor am I aware of any published plans to do so. That's my whole beef... forgone harvest opportunity on surplus HATCHERY stock!

fishbreath

Fishinnut is correct. Only a little over half the chinook guideline (21k of 40k) was harvested out of Westport this year. The point that must be emphasized is that the ocean fishery chinook guidelines off Westport are predicated on the strength of the Columbia River returns. We got to keep kings in the ocean based on the Columbia forecast, not the GH forecast. BTW the GH forecast for 2003 was nearly identical to the year before. 2002 gave us an unprecedented ocean chinook fishery with at times a 2-chinook limit, followed by a one chinook limit in Grays Harbor beginning Sept 1. This year the GH season was delayed by two weeks (opened Sept 16) and NO KINGS allowed and none for the rivers as well (except a brief 2 week season on the Hump). So obviously the seasons do not correlate with the forecasts. If saving wild upper Chehalis is the reason for this years lost harvest opportunity, then it's time to start marking all those hatchery kings so we can get it back!

boater and PNW

GH and the lower Chehalis is heavily netted by the Quinaults.... and yes, they do take chinook in the river. BTW there was also a nontribal gillnet fishery "targeting" coho in 2003.