the increasing numbers of oregon coast natural wild coho may have something to do with it. from my understanding, the mark rate will never get to 100% (need to make sure hatcheries get back fish to spawn, so some will not be clipped). further north, the mark rate is worse because of good numbers of wild coho and a lower mark rate inside puget sound (especially tribal hatcheries). the mark rate south (westport, ilwaco) should be good due to the fact that the the columbia has the highest % of clipped coho. i'd like to hear how it is this upcoming season to see if last year's mark rate down south was an anomoly or becoming the norm.

after major shutdowns and short seasons in the saltwater during the 90's... it's almost amusing that there are complaints of catching too many fish <G>.

i think any new regulation (selective, wsr, etc.) takes some time for everyone to get adjusted to it. like wild steelhead release will take some time to be accepted, the saltwater selective fisheries are slowly becoming more accepted.... and imo now is not the time to reverse course. let's not forget that if we drop the selective requirement for the sports fleet, how long do you think it will be before the commercial trollers want out of selective coho fishing?

chris