The part we'll be paying close attention to is the 84:16 split reflecting a rec priority for chinook... even when there is a conservation shortfall requiring WDFW to invoke the 5% impact.

In this case, the conservation shortfall is WDFW's historic failure to meet Chehalis chinook escapement 80% of the time... a pattern which continues thru the most recent 5 year window. This failure occurred despite the performance bar having been reduced to the newly lowered 9.9K e-goal put into place during 2 of those 5 years!

The language of the policy affirms the rec priority for chinook thru good times as well as bad. As run sizes increase, a sliding scale allows gillnet impacts to increase linearly from 0.8% at run sizes of 18.8K to a maximum of 5.8% at run sizes of 25K or greater. Even at a MEGA run-size of 25K, the 5.8% works out to 1450 kings or 19% of the NT share.

In other words, in the worst of times, when the there is a conservation concern requiring limiting chinook impacts to 5% total NT exploitation, the split is 84:16. And in the very best of times, the split works out to a maximum of 81:19 of the NT share.

The implication here is that whenever we are in conservation mode (either 3/5 penalty box or run size less than 110% or e-goal) the allocation split between between rec and comm should be 84:16.

The nets should NOT get their full 0.8% share unless the rec sector is allocated its full 4.2% share PER THE POLICY....

Quote:
"Areas 2A, 2B, 2D: the impact rate of the state-managed commercial fishery shall be 0.8% on natural-origin Chehalis fall Chinook when the impact of the recreational fishery is equal to or greater than 4.2%. The impact rate of the WDFW-managed commercial fishery may be less than 0.8% when conservation concerns for natural-origin Chehalis fall Chinook result in a less than 4.2% impact rate in the recreational fishery."


While NOT specifically stated, several of us believe the policy implies that the comm allocation should fall in line with the proportional rec priority of 84:16 whenever we are in the "penalty box."

It most certainly should NEVER go higher than 19% (81:19) because that is the maximum commercial allocation split in a gangbuster chinook year.

_________________________
"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey)

"If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman)


The Keen Eye MD
Long Live the Kings!