Eric,

The lost habitat is just that, lost. It's important to know what the remaining sub-basin can do, especially since it benefits from flow enhancement, temperature control, and flood damage reduction.

I'm persuaded to the need and benefits of the Aberdeen hatchery renovations. Current water quality and disease problems are causing the loss of an average of 50% of juv. steelhead, and that's not a cost-effective way to produce mitigation fish.

A-77,

No need for another coho natural production barometer. The Chehalis basin is good coho country, although much compromised, just like everywhere else. Can't say the same for chinook. Something's going on, and maybe it's just over-fishing. Or maybe the habitat quality just doesn't support high enough reproductive efficiency to provide any harvestable fish after the northern AK and BC fisheries take their "share." There's reason to believe that so-called Chehalis natural chinook production was an artifact of the Satsop hatchery and not so good natural reproduction throughout the rest of the basin. If so, that's gonna' be important to know.

Sg