We have all of those things here in Oregon and Washington too Jake. Yet we have fall chinook returns to the Tillamook basin that marvel any. On good ocean conditions of course.

I'm not saying that habitat is not important. What I am saying is that habitat didn't take the runs out of of rivers that don't have habitat issuues.

If the Siletz was the only river in Oregon that was failing to get fish back into it, and every other river was doing good, then you could say that is a "river" problem. But............

Every river in the NW region that has Coho is doing great, yet the kings are bad(for the most part). So is the king habitat that bad? Or is the coho habitat that good?

Where did all the spring and fall chinook jacks come from? There are more over Bonny this year than ever in the history of the dam. Can you thank the improved habitat for that? God i hope not!

Did those smolts have such great food in the Ocean that they grew fast and healthy? you bet! Did they get to the Ocean in 2006 to find bath water? Not this time. They had all the stars alligned and got a burst of the best ocean conditions in years.

I want to know one thing. If our chinook runs turn 180 degrees, like I think will happen in 2010. Will all of you be giving credit to a healthy habitat?

the only thing that has varried so much in the last ten years for a salmon is the Ocean in which it grows. the habitat is very close to the same as it has been for 50 years, maybe even better now that they realized the importance of trees in the river.