WN1A--
Very well said. As you and all of us know, there is not one specific finger that can be pointed to show the number one killer. As you have said, it is all of them together.
I have just had allot of experience with gill nets and the river and am floored by the lack of understanding of the toll it has taken. As I was part of the protest against the Bolt decision, I know first hand the effects.
It is true that the Indians take less today than when they first got their licence to kill, becuse there are way less fish.
But they did it while baiting the media into how they were the "stewards" of the river while wipping out whole runs. God I remember all the tribal leaders on TV telling the public it was all our fault for screwing up the habitat. They have convinced a whole generation of that and turned the visability away from them.
Green, Skagit, Snohomish, Stilly systems just to name a few local systems filled with nets for 15 years.. I sat in the late 70's and watched over 50 nets go into a river during Native Steelhead runs. (stewards you know)
No amount of Habitat damage can have as big an affect on a sytem than that, no matter how much damage the loggers did or growth.
My point has always been, the damage was done way before most people on this board even knew about Steelheading. I just hate to see everyone talk habitat without understanding that habitat will not fix the damage done by 1/100% of the population. We need to make sure everyone keeps a keen ear to that because as soon as you fix the habitat and return Steelhead to one of these rivers, guess who will use their "rights" with the States blessing.
It is a crime, I don't care what the courts said. Should we still be fighting it in court, I don't know, but nothing has gone right since that decision!