[quote=eyeFISH]
As far as the numbers of dead wild coho, assuming a very modest 20% H&R mortailty, the anticipated encounter rate of 20% H:W was expected to yield the same number of dead wild coho in either of three scenarios:

1) ZERO wild retention (clip only)
2) Up to ONE wild retention.
3) Up to TWO wild retention

Again that was under the assumption of a 20% hooking mortality and a 20% encounter rate of marked fish. IT'S ALL A WASH. As long as the mortality rate is well below the encounter rate, then a mark-selective fishery makes sense. But once the mortality rate exceeds the mark rate, the numbers shift in favor of wild retention.

The quote from Doc is the idea used to justify the current season with wild coho take. It also gets fishermen off the water faster and reduces Chinook H&R mortality. The math works if one assumes each fisherman catches a limit on each trip. (Typical of PP readers) In that case the same number of wild Coho die regardless of the make-up of hatchery and wild. As usual, the result is a function of the assumptions that go into it.

On the Chehalis the fish checkers find that each fisherman averages about 0.15 fish per trip when the limit is based on hatchery only retention. Assuming the same H/W ratio of 20% then the same fisherman also released 0.6 wild fish per trip, killing 0.12 with hooking mortality. With the bonk anything rule we would expect the fisherman to return with 0.75 fish per trip, including 0.6 dead wild Coho. He will probably make more trips because of this which will also increase the wild Coho take. This real world situation will result in more wild coho killed per trip than a hatchery only rule. Last year with one wild Coho allowed in the limit for part of the season, we saw the average fish per angler trip jump to about 0.45 and we all thought it was a fabulous year.

If there was ever a poster child year for in season management of wild Coho take, this should be the year.