It's interesting how things transpire. Just maybe, commercial fishing for steelhead may be on its way out. I recall that in 1979 many buyers paid treaty Indians $2.50 per pound for steelhead. In the last few seasons, the same buyer paid about $0.65 or $0.75 per pound, due to the presence of farmed Atlantic salmon and steelhead/rainbow trout availability. I heard but didn't verify that the same buyer offered only $0.10 per pound for Skagit steelhead this season, in part to discourage fishermen from bringing fish to sell. This had nothing to do with ethics about steelhead or native wild fish. It was just business. The treaty steelhead fishery is just too erratic and undependable in supply compared to the farm raised fish for that particular fish monger's trade.

If this market conditions becomes prevalent, an opportunity should become available to purchase certain tribal treaty catches subject to the condition that the fish be left in the river. As a business deal, it shouldn't be too far fetched. The tribes would keep their fishing rights, sell fish, improve their profit margin by decreasing operating expenses by actually fishing less.

So maybe the fish farms aren't so bad after all if they coincidentally contribute to conservation of native stocks.