Francis, you are smarter than that, too...this isn't an anti-CCA stance, since in spite of their support of it, they have nothing whatsoever to do with it...this is between the WDFW and the gillnet fleet.

"Phantom" numbers are just that...phantoms. Think there won't be unmeasured mortalities due to release injury, predator snatching, or whatever out of a purse seine?

If you're really interested in the "highest and best use", then that highest and best use is by far in favor of the sport fleet...long seasons and good bag limits on the spring Chinook means millions and millions of dollars to the local economy, virtually no impact on wild steelhead, plenty of fish to satisfy the tribal fishery above Bonneville, and a meaningful season for our E.Wa. and Idaho fishermen, who happen to live near a lot of the hatcheries that are producing fish for these LCR fisheries, and they don't get to fish for very often, or very much.

If you want to have a real discussion of this, at least let's talk about the issues, rather than playing salmon bake's game of ignoring the message and attacking the messenger. I'd be getting after the Vatican if they were pushing this, too.

Fish on...

Todd