I'm sure most probably understand this already, but the future of fishing for anadromous fish in Puget Sound hinges on the outcome of this suit.

If WFC wins the claim that the ESA is being violated with hatchery production impacts then they will follow with 60-day notices for other programs in Puget Sound, state or tribal; Fall chinook, coho, chum, etc. Unfortunately nothing is safe at this point. It's hard to believe, but all hatcheries programs are at risk right now and it's not going to end with Puget Sound.

If things go this direction we likely won't even have salt water seasons for salmon other than humpies. At least we get 6 weeks for ling cod, and I hear that flounder fishing can be very fun.

Sadly, part of me wishes that WFC gets their ultimate intention fulfilled of closing hatcheries. Then, everyone can sit back and watch the same destruction of habitat and a steady flood of transplants build houses everywhere -- meanwhile the natural populations of fish that were supposed to miraculously rebound stay at the same abundance.

We already know what happens to natural populations with no hatchery population presence when we trash the environment. It happened in Europe and the British Isles, then it happened again in New England. I'd say those examples are pretty good, but the reality is, we're doing the exact same thing to the environment here as happened in those examples.