Dr Rick,

You're catching on, but wrong on the intent toward wild springers. There is NO INTENT by the fish management agencies to allow more wild springers to escape to spawn. The 15% incidental take will occur by one fishery or another, no matter what else. While it may seem counter-intuitive to how an ESA listed species should be managed, you can none the less take that point to the bank, or more accurately, some part of the fishing fleet will take those wild springers to the fish box.

The only way to catch more hatchery fish without going over the 15% allowable incidental take is to fish more selectively with a lower incidental mortality rate. PERIOD.

A fish managment king or czar might simply cancel all the commercial, recreational, and treaty fisheries. Then simply build trap and sorting facilities at Bonneville Dam fish ladders and Willamette Falls. Separate the hatchery from the wild fish there and have all the interested parties come and pick up their "share" of the harvestable hatchery salmon. Very clean, the absolute lowest incidental mortality rate, the highest possible wild fish survival rate, keeps all the hatchery fish off the natural spawning beds, etc., etc. This is the alternative that is most consistent with wild salmon recovery, but you might guess it doesn't go over so well with anyone who likes to fish, or those who fish to make a profit.

Sg