Why not.... Kevin, if your theory was correct about every biter getting caught you would be correct, but it can't be. If it was, one would have to assume the fish made it up to bonneville in one day or only bit on certian days or certain times. I am not ready to agree with either of these yet, though it is possible. If it was for a small time period, then the people on the river who could get the bait in quickly for a second fish, would suck up the season quicker. I won't even address issue if fish bite on one day and not on another day.
The quota did, however, have the effect of spreading out the wealth, there is no doubt about it. I remember fishing the cowlitz during the heyday. There were certain drifts that would produce fish after fish, regardless of who would fish it. Inevitable, some unemployed yahoo and 10 of his buddies would park everyday in the best holes and catch and release all day. If they decided to catch a limit, they would stand there until one of their buddies took there place. If you tried to step in, threats of violence were common. I have fished all day waiting for a spot to open, then finally, at the end of the day got obnoxious, squeezed in and hooked a fish on the first cast. In places with high effort, it really is nice to get people off the river, especially if your theory is correct and someone else really will get that fish.
This year the one fish limit may not have worked as well as hoped, but I am sure it extended the season, and at worst gave more people the opportunity to take one home.
Lastly, I bet you think that if you were allowed to, you would have been able to get two fish. Since not every boat on the river was catching fish at the exact time that would mean you believe you would be able to do something special to make those fish bite. Go ahead, take credit where credit is due, you probably really are better out there most of theother guys.