Eyefish-
As Aunty and others have pointed out many times currently on the Columbia lower River spring Chinook fishery the combined sport and commercial fisheries are catching nearly all they fish they are allowed. There are obligations (Tribal and other up river fisheries) to insure that adequate numbers of fish (hatchery and wild) are passed upstream. In 2008 those upstream obligations were not met and just barely so in 2009

Sorry but if the commercial fishermen are to be given a "carrot" to convert to more selective methods there is only one place for those extra fish to come from and that is the lower river sport catch.

While that trade off may be worthwhile (and I can think of several legislative types that would think so) the cost will likely be fewer hatchery fish available to the lower river recreational fishery. Is a reduction in sport catch of hatchery fish (with the same wild fish impacts) worth the cost of converting the commercial fishery to a selective one?

That is for each of us to answer however I believe it is critical that folks understand the issue; otherwise some be faced with a nasty surprise.

Tight lines
Curt