P.S. This is not some sort of kneejerk reaction by me to have come to this conclusion...frankly, I have thought about and researched it at length and I can't honestly see how anyone comes to the conclusion that this will help fish or fishing.

I don't see much of a need to have a private conversation about it, either...it won't change my mind.

I have already agreed to sit down with one of our mutual friends, Rich, who asked me to sign onto a letter in support of the recent actions and was surprised that I said no...which just goes to show how out of touch with the greater situation those behind these actions are.

The WFC, Native Fish Society, etc., at least don't pretend to have fishing or fishing businesses on their mind when they do what they do.

The WSC does, at least on paper...but may as well not if they are just going to march in lockstep with the WFC and NFS.

When we founded the WSC 14 years ago we were a bunch of fishermen who wanted to make sure we got to fish and that more and greater closures didn't come our way...and we formed a new group because fishermen and fishing businesses were not being represented to our satisfaction in the conservation world.

Closing hatcheries is bad enough...now fighting against the State when they are trying to actually bring their hatchery into compliance with the ESA?

Makes it obvious that ESA compliance is not the issue...closing hatcheries is what they want, ESA or not...doing much of a damn thing at all to help wild fish, or not.

Think that all the fishermen will just switch over to clamoring for the real things that limit wild fish to be addressed now?

Unlikely. Even if they did the political will and money to do it are in short supply...doesn't help that the organizations who should be pushing for them are busy going after hatcheries instead of the things that may actually improve wild fish runs.

No, more likely is that the fishermen will just pile more and more onto the rivers that are open still...and when it happens there, too, then there won't be any fishing at all for steelhead in Washington State.