run_a_bait -
I think you missed my point -why should the Elliot Bay terminal fishery be managed differently than many other fisheries? Given your position why not delay the openings of Marine areas 10, 9 or any other until the test fishery? I can see why the tribe may like that kind of management - unless the State is willing to harvest its share of the salmon with gill nets the tribe will end up with a larger portion of the catch (the significiant portion the uncaught non-treaty share seems to end up in their nets ).

The last several years the sport fishery has opened prior to the tribal test fishery results. The reason of course is for the sport fishery to have a chance to catch a reasonable portion of the harvest. Even so the tribal catch has gone at least it share. If the sport fishery delays fishing until the run can be reliably updated it would not open until early August at the earliest.

As I recall the sport catch in Elliot Bay was 900 fish prior to yesterday's fishery while the tribal catch was nearly 1,600 fish caught during their one day opening plus the test fisheries. Are you really happy with the catch sharing?

Ask your indian friends why do they insist on limiting the Bay and River fishery by the sporties even when the update shows harvestable numbers of fish?

While I would be more than willing to consider different management schemes - espeically if they give the fish a break - there needs to be some equity in the sharing of the catch.

Tight lines
Curt