Pretty certain you could manage WB completely for wild chinook stocks and still end up with ESA listing. I think there probably just isn't enough real chinook spawning habitat flowing into WB, nor likely any real wild chinook remaining if there ever where many.

Norther river & smith creek as a genetically independent chinook stream, please . . .

Now managing it for a wild coho would be a completely viable and exciting prospect if anyone actually cared about wild coho.

I find it fascinating that WDFW makes it a priority to do research projects like this, but can't be bothered to do stock surveys to give us the mark rate on caracasses in the naselle or north, let alone genetic testing to characterize what their "wild" stock might be.

BTW, I too endorse Thiesfeld overall. Transparency is day compared to his predecessor's night. Not so fond of the management of WB overall or the WB NOF process, but agree it's not likely Thiesfeld's call.