Rotten Chum -

In attempting to read between the lines that those concern about a chum fishery this year on the Skykomish concerns center around two issues.

The first of course is the current escapement goal. As I recall that goal has been in place for approximately 25 years. In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a series of years with escapements well in excess of the goal. For some those large escapements would have been considered a mis-management of the run. The recreational fishers that target chums during the that period enjoyed fishing on populations well above the escapement goal and developed the sense that situation should be the norm.

The second issue of course is how potential catches should be allocated (with the rub being the take of chums in the commercial catch).

If folks want to see either management paradigm there is going to have to be some serious work done. The first step would working towards changing State law and WDFW commission policies. Whether folks would be in such an effort for the long haul is doubtful - much easier to rant away on discussions like this one.

Tight lines
Curt