And by the way, I dispute the idea that we had plenty of Chinook back when the escapement goals were set. Recent natural escapements for Chinook in north sound rivers have been the highest in the 40-year escapement database. One reason for that is that fishing for chinook has been greatly reduced in Puget Sound -- both the directed commercial as well as the 365 day/year sport fishery are gone. Before the beginning of the escapement database there was no river by river management of chinook. These fish were fished to near extinction long before any management paradigms were set. So, I dispute the implication that chum will go the way of chinook, at least when it comes to fishing mortality. I stand behind the way we manage chum today in Puget Sound.
_________________________
Two Dogs