CD,

Insert weighted brood year spawner data into equation, hit "calculate." Out comes a number. It might have actually been 457.7648 and rounded up to 458.

RD,

A couple reasons. Intermittent ongoing discussions with the affected Treaty Tribe, Muckleshoot. If a hatchery winter run of consequence had shown up, the policy decision likely would have been that it's preferable to go ahead and prosecute the early winter season while hatchery steelhead are abundant. Since the hatchery fish have been largely a no-show in Puget Sound, there is little social or biological loss associated with the earlier closure, and a very slight biological gain to the wild run. And as always whenever a run doesn't show, or show well, a significant economic loss from less fishing activity.

Sg