CM-
Hooten is correct of course; CnR season have not/did not help the Salish sea wild steelhead populations over the long haul (as measured as increased run size). But to be fair neither did reduced wild harvest, wild steelhead release, gear restrictions, shorter seasons, closed seasons, etc. Clearly other factors are also in play which seem to dominate/override potential benefits from reduce fishing impacts one would logically expect.

A huge factor has to be one of timing; when those things were being implemented these other factors (marine survivals being one example) were increasing their impacts.

To the board in general -
Do you expect that at some future date things like marine survival will improve and we may well see larger runs?

If those increases occur do you see some potential for some fishing opportunity?

Do you think a CnR season would be the one of the first approaches considered in any increased fishing opportunities?

If you answer yes to those questions how should the manager's proceed? As things are currently structured even if on the Skagit we were getting 10,000 wild fish a year back the season would remain essentially the same as most of the current allowable impacts (measured as a per cent of the run) are being used up.

Do we wait until the entire Puget Sound ESA listed populations are delisted? Or do we exaimine approaches similar to that used for Puget Sound Chinook where allowable impacts were determined for specific rivers based on the status and productivity of each of those stocks?

More to the point if we are going to look at an individual basin approach should the development of the criteria (a length process) under which any potential fishing can occur wait until there the runs have improved? or should that occur more proactive so that it would be in place when things improve so that potential fishing could happen years earlier? Any new approach will require a revamping of the allowable impacts as determined by NMFS and likely some modification of the WDFW Statewide Steelhead Management Plan (which by the way is 5 years old and is due for a review).

It should be obvious what the answers to those questions are for those supporting the "Occupy Skagit" movement! If your answers are different then continuing sitting on the bank doing nothing is probably the appropriate approach.

Why the Skagit?
In the context of Puget Sound steelhead the quality of its freshwater habitat ranks near the top, it was the poster child of wild steelhead CnR fishing, and it is likely the first large PS systen to see decent wild runs again (2012 saw the escapement goal exceeded). That combined with one of the more conservative wild steelhead escapement management makes the Skagit a logic starting point.

As always just a former steelheader's viewpoint.

Curt