I think that it is important to notice that the press release appears to hold the commercials to 2% of the ESA steelhead allotment. This precludes tangle nets, as they will exceed that in one drift using steelhead size gillnet, which is all a tangle net is. If they don't use tangle nets, like last year, they are going to have to be watched very closely or they are going to catch OUR share of the 60% of the 2% of the wild springers like they did last year. Impress upon the Director and the Commission to have the fish management folks watch this like a hawk - mistakes like last year are inexcusable. The bright side is that there is NO WAY that they can approach 40% of the total catch before getting 40% or more of the 2%. We will get the lions share. I will for sure get mine.

Ramon, an ESA lawsuit would be very appropriate if 2% catch of wild steelhead is exceeded. And you are dead on - the important work is ahead if WDFW really attempts to justify upping the ESA allotment to 7% to accomodate a troglodite gillnet fishery that should have gone away years ago. NOAA needs to hear from all of us and will from me.