Sebastes. Black, Yellowtail, Vermillion, and Blue.

By the WDFWs admission of their own available science, Black, blue, and yellow tail rockfish are considered healthy in 4b. Also, Kelp Greenling, Lingcod, and Cabezon also fall into the "health" catagory in 4b. WDFW wants to take a conservative approach, which they did last year with the 6 black/blues, 20fathom restriction, etc. They reason I think they want to take more is there is individual members within WDFW that want to create these world class non-consumptive zones, other than Jennings, ONE. And TWO, citizen enviormentalist push for this (along with the push for MRs/MPAs) is strong and DFW is listening.

Hypothetically, if you were and pro-MPA self-proclaimed enviromentalist, and you wanted to hang your hat on an MPA that you helped create, wouldn't the Western straits be the ultimate prize? Getting a MPA/MR smack dab in the middle of the heatltiest and most diverse bottomfish populations within WDFW groundfish management area (PFMC manages groundfish in the ocean west of the bonilla/tatoosh line) would be a big prize indeed. Especially since you as an pro MPA enviro would ultimately like to eventually see up to 50% of the straits and puget sound restricted to non-consumptive use, it would be a monumental building block for your agenda right? If you can manipulate science to propose/introduce closures in the heathiest areas, than it would be easy to propose/introduce closures at less healthy areas to the east.

That's what ia happening in my opinion.

Larry B. You asked about the Makahs and how they feel. This as much effects the community of Sekiu/Clallam Bay. It seems like the majority of anglers out of MA5 partake in MA4s bottomfish regs. If a big chunk of water inside of 20fathoms west of the Sekiu River is closed to bottomfish, than there wouldn't be as much incentive to selectively fish salmon that far away from puget sound. If I were the owner of Olsens/VanRipers/Curleys/Coho/Spring Tavern/PBs/Clallam Texico, etc, I'd be all over this as well.