For springers- likely true at least partially.

For URB's- that is completely BS. The habitat in the Reach can support about five times more spawners than the current (reduced) escapement target. Plenty of fish are entering the river mouth to meet the available spawning capacity. Yet the number spawning are not even meeting the reduced escapement targets for two or three of the last four years. That is NOT a habitat issue, it is harvest. And of course the number reaching the river mouth could be many times higher yet if they weren't overharvested in the ocean in Alaska and BC, another harvest issue.

Yes, there's also a habitat (and of course hydro) issue because with better dam operations, survival of eggs and fry in the Reach could be even better.

And although Todd (partially correctly) called out lack of food as a habitat issue, it is equally a harvest issue because the amount of food in the habitat is directly affected by the harvest rate. Of course the agencies and user groups are all determined not to let any of the fish get "wasted" on the riverbanks so they are always harvested to a level that keeps nutrients out of the river.

Bottom line is that all four H's are valid targets for improvement, and each of the H's is more or less of a factor for varying individual runs and locations. We need to quit trying to convince each other that everything except our own chosen pet targets are invalid.

Freespool, you are passionate about dams. I get that. I'm not trying to stop you from spending your energy on that issue. Would you please get a clue and stop trying to convince everyone that cares about harvest to stop caring? You're wasting your time which could obviously be better spent on pursuing dam removal. I happen to personally think it would be great to see the Snake River dams come down, but I choose not to spend my time pursuing that goal because it's not where my current passion lies and I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. But I wish you luck in pursuing your interests.