Perhaps that is true Todd. I have just never heard you say that the use of seines would be better for wild fish in fisheries that are constrained by hatchery harvest quotas. Which raised the question in my mind;

Then what good do ESA policies do for wild fish?

If truly selective gear can be used to decrease the mortality rates on wild fish then why would we not limit the fisheries based on hatchery quota? Is it possible that less wild fish would die in the process of reaching the quota using the selctive gear? Or are you saying that more encounters with non-target species using the selective gear will just offset any decreased mortality rate benefits? Do purse seines really capture more fish than a gillnet strung across a river?

Why is it not possible to use some sort of combination of the two policies? Catch your quota and you're done and kill the alotted amount if wild fish and you're done?