Dave -
Great question -
First this is not just about Chinook sprot fishing in Puget Sound but rather salmon fishing in Puget Sound in general. The impacts from all the various fisheries are included in determination of the sum of the total impacts. This pass season a major item of discussion at NOF was whether to use a portion of the incidental Stilly Chinook impacts to support a 6 week in-river fishery for pinks and early coho or for a month of blackmouth in MAs 8-1 & 8-2.

I think it should be apparent to most that the commonly talked about as being CCA priorities (commerical fishing, gill nets, tribal fishing, etc) in the various fishing discussion forms while provide little benefits in this case.

I would think a good short term strategy for local groups would be sit down and honestly assess their interests and priorities. Is it important that some of our local stock productivity is used to support fishing? Once that has been some what defined take the time to research the issues and move from this reliance of good sounding rhetortic that we have been hearing and move to the point of making informed decisions on solid information.

I have to agree with Todd the long term solution for populations like the Stillaguamish Chinook is in habitat restoration and protection. Without that focus we will be doomed to seeing decreasing numbers of fish and the following reduced opportunities.

If advocate groups decide to take on that sort of the effort they will need to mend some of the fences with their natural allies in that effort. If the recreational fishers are to have any hope of success in this effort they will need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the area's Tribal and commerical fishing interests. We all will better off dividing a large pie than continuing to bicker about who gets what of a constantly decreasing pie.

To date I have not seen any interest in that sort of united effort; in fact quite the opposite.

While folks are researching the issues and forming opinions what they as individuals can do is make decisions of where they fish. A quick review of where the impacts on Stillaguamish is habitat would indicate that anyone who fishings Chinnok in SE Alaska or BC or promotes those fisheries are part of the problem.

Tight lines
Curt