Chuck S.,

For starters I'd deal with factual information instead of visceral, like your contention that ". . . commercials are being allowed to whore it out . . ." when I know you're regular enough here to be aware that reliable information indicates that PS wild steelhead populations are not even close to being limited by harvest, either commercial or sport. You're too regular here to be writing stupid stuff like that unless it is your intention to appear to be as stupid as what you write. I and others have posted repeatedly that early marine survival is limiting PS steelhead returns, both hatchery and wild. With a condition like that, you cannot will or spend your way to recovery.

If I could influence action I'd like to see a lot more research going into identifying the factor or factors limiting PS early marine survival. It only takes juvenile steelhead a couple weeks to move through the area, and up to 80% of the tagged smolts aren't pinging the receivers. A far larger number of tagged smolts need to be released, and more receivers might also be needed to verify that the smolts actually are not making it out of PS and through the Strait. But that is what the limited data currently tell us.

I don't know what you're talking about regarding issues being declined. It appears you wrote some gibberish that needs cleaning up to be comprehensible. Just because the average Joe wants to fish doesn't mean that fish will be there. If all PS steelhead runs are limited by factors that WDFW cannot control, or has even identified at this point, what are they supposed to do? Leave PS rivers open so the average Joe can over-harvest hatchery fish so that even hatchery runs don't meet escapement? And over-harvest wild runs that already aren't meeting escapement? You have to play not only the cards you're dealt, but with the deck you have. Redefining the deck is not an option on the menu although your posts suggests otherwise.

And yes, WDFW has runsize and escapement estimates of wild winter steelhead runs in most of the major PS river systems. None are meeting escapement, and most are way below.

As for Snyder, success and failure depend a lot on the definitiions used. It's apparent that biologists and fishermen are not using the same definition.

Stam,

Good question. I also read that Snyder is being moved to the Bogie, but I don't know what that means. Does it mean that early Bogie wild steelhead will be captured as native broodstock and cultured? And where will they be cultured? And where will the smolts be released? And, is monitoring for effectiveness of the program on anyone's agenda? I'm not necessarily against the program, but I wouldn't spend any of my money without monitoring to document what I was getting for my investment.

Sg