Freespool,

Yeah, so no one is saying the ocean conditions are not important. However, ocean conditions are on the list of things we can't do anything about (near term anyway). So just because harvest isn't the proximate cause or main limiting factor, are you suggesting that wild steelhead harvest should be allowed on LCR tribs? If so, I disagree. Allowing such harvest on severely depressed stocks would reduce escapements to such a low level that the rebound you see when ocean conditions are good wouldn't be so unfluential. We need to maintain some base level population so that populations can recover, or at least temporarily increase, when ocean conditions are good. Consequently I think that curtailing harvest does more than reduce angler opportunity; it also assists in maintaining a base level population so that there will be a reasonable number of smolts to take advantage of improved ocean conditions when they occur.

Sg