eyeFISH -
Remember we are talking Puget Sound steelhead here. Not sure that your statement of "...still trying to harvest them to recovery" is either accurate or appropriate.

At the time of the ESA listing NMFS in their listing document determined that in the decade prior to listing harvest (fishing relate mortalities) was not limiting. Since the listing as I pointed out earlier in this thread 1/2 of the winter populations (DIPs) have no winter fishing seasons. In the other basins the total fishing impacts (mostly incidental while targeting other species or hatchery steelhead) has average approximate 4% since the listing.

Further the region's native wild summer populations are doing at least as poorly as the winters in spite of being managed under wild release regulations for recreational seasons with no directed tribal fishing. In addition those populations (South Fork Nooksack Deer Creek, North Fork Skykomish, and Tolt) have not been planted with hatchery fish for an extended time; in some cases never.

Curt