Here's a post I put on a different BB:

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So here's what I've heard so far...this is part rumor, part fact, and part intuition...mainly fact, and putting it together intuitively in this order:

1. The Quinaults have overfished (fact)...considerably...maybe as many as 3700 wild fish harvested (credible rumor).

2. The Chehalis and tribs were to be closed(fact)...news release to that effect was drafted(fact). Some leaked out before general release (fact)(see the one Rockfish posted above...I got that one this morning, too).

3. Department staff met with the Commission last night (fact), didn't want the political backlash of seeing yet another tribal fishery overharvest and lead to the closure of the sport fishery due to escapement now projected to be below escapment goal (rumor).

4. News release was pulled (after some leaked out), and they have been meeting all day to "massage" the numbers into another "not a big deal" so that they can distract us by keeping the rivers open (mix of fact and intuition).

5. They plan on a "new" news release tomorrow(fact)...one that will say that there was no overfishing, that the season went just as planned, and that the sportfishery will continue(fact)...this won't be exactly truthful, as those rivers are now not going to make escapement, but they are going to keep them open anyway(rumor and intuition...hope to confirm or not tomorrow).

6. Around lunchtime tomorrow we will see the second news release(fact).

I can't believe the last few months with WDFW...do they really think that people can't put this stuff together? Do they really think that as long as they keep the sport season open (even if it is in direct violation of the WSP, due to yet another allowed overfishing by the tribes?) that sportfishermen won't notice, or won't wonder why there are no fish, or be concerned about the runs now being underescaped AND IT'S STILL OPEN?

More tomorrow, as the information continues to develop.

Fish on...

Todd