The state and tribes have to consult with each other regarding any season setting, whether it be a harvest season or a catch and release season. This is how they assure that the proper allocation takes place.

They do not have to consult on passing a rule such as "no bait", or "no fishing from a motorized boat", or "wild steelhead release", however. Those rules do not lead to non-tribal fishers possibly overharvesting their allocation.

So, in answer to your question CFM, the state does have to consult with the tribes to set a CnR season (which has an associated mortality directed at a particular run which must be figured into the allocation), but does not have to consult to close a fishery over that same stock (no allocation issue).

The tribe's concern that this will lead to more resentment of their treaty fishing is probably true...but so what? Just because they are going to kill their allocation and look worse than us because we choose not to is not our problem...it's theirs.

"Oh no! We're going to look bad if we're the only ones harvesting wild steelhead!"

Damn right you are. That's part of the deal, we get more political power, at least on the PR end, then we've ever had on this issue. God forbid they lose their "stewards of the resource" status with the general public.

If they actually claim that we need to harvest wild fish so that they aren't resented for doing so, then they really are not much of a steward of the resource, in my opinion.

Also, there is a very big difference between carrying capacity and escapement. Escapement is set based on MSH, while carrying capacity is the amount of fish that the stream can support. On rivers like those on the OP where there are large runs of fish the difference between carrying capacity and escapement might be several thousand adult fish. I doubt the non-tribal catch which will now stay in the river will actually get anywhere near carrying capacity.

Mother Nature seemed to do fine with balancing the amount of fish spawning with the runs for a long time before we came along and "managed" them better. The idea that there could be too many fish in the river is not a biologicial argument...it's an economic one.

Dead spawned out fish deliver nutrients to the river from the sea. That's if they die...an average of just over 12% of steelhead don't, they return to spawn again.

Even if they are "extra" fish, which I doubt, they are clearly not wasted.

As far as some dude from Sequim calling the Hoh "our river", that's just plain BS. It's all of "our" river.

Fish on...

Todd