My very limited experience on the big, blue pond lands me in firm agreement with your assessment, which is why I like the "first two salmon" approach in principle, but when endangered stocks enter the picture, the practice gets a bit sticky.

Like I said, I still think this is good for Coho as a species, but I'm not sure it's good for all stocks.

Two wild Chinook, no matter how many Columbia fish are out there, seems hugely irresponsible to me, given that there aren't enough Chehalis Chinook to support any inside fisheries. In addition, release mortality on kings is generally accepted to be much lower than Coho in the ocean, so I don't think the argument that we're saving wild Chinook with this plan holds water. Willful overharvest, by all user groups, needs to stop if these fish are to stand a chance.