Just got back from the meeting.

Well....the short story is nothing will change, and there's not much we can do about it.

The harvest number split is of course initially set by the forecasted return, there is no harvest buffer built in, the number is what it is. WDFW says that while they are gathering more data on the returns (short history on this run, so not much data to work with), the dramatic fluctuations that take place in Sockeye runs makes it difficult to forecast much better than what's being done now, which is in the +/- 25% range, but could easily be off much more in any particular year. They are reluctant to try to put in a buffer because the tribes may not agree to it, and have no incentive to do so.

Right now the tribes are guaranteed to get their number of fish (50%) based on the forecasted return, with the possibility of more if the return is better than forecasted and they take fish from the trap.

The reason is no matter how much the tribes may over harvest the actual run, the escapement number will be taken from the sportsman's share, as it was this year. So there is no incentive for the tribes to alter their current methods of harvest. All they need to do is make sure 7,800 fish make it back to the trap, if that number returns then escapement will have been met, even though it means there will be no fishery for the sportsman.

The in-river fishery for the sportsman is partially based on ESA Chinook impacts, so while they would like to offer more opportunity, they are somewhat limited, but are trying to offer a longer season, or adjust the timing for better opportunity. The lake fishery is the primary focus though, because far more people have expressed an interest in it than the river. This is based on NOF meeting input plus other contact with sportsman.

The first two years the economic contribution from the fishery was estimated to be in the $750K range, and much more in the following years, but there is no hard data on recent years yet.

WDFW was looking for input, but really there wasn't much they said could be done other than possibly alter the regulations on the lake to allow for more fish to possibly caught. They said they aren't in a position (no leverage) to influence how or when the tribes fish.

While WDFW did cover many details of what's being done, and how the numbers and actual harvest split is calculated, plus the history of the run. They didn't offer much hope in any changes being made to come up with a more reliable and/or equitable split between the two parties.

About 45 people attended the meeting.