Sorry guys, I gotta defend Salmo G. on this one. His/her posts provide exactly the type of information that is needed - accurate, timely, and relavent to the fishery issues that we're struggling with. In my view, we should all strive to maintain our anonimity (sp). Without it, the free flow of information will get cut off - quickly. And a BB dies without good information.

You might disagree with Salmo G. on his opinions but let's not get his personal views on this BB mixed up with the official policy positions of the agency (Federal, State, Tribal) or company that he happens to work for. On the Cowlitz River, all the Federal and State agencies are struggling with the reality of trying to maintain a major fishery on a river that has been permanently changed by Mossy Rock and Mayfield dams. Tacoma might get away with grand larceny on this river but FERC makes the final decisions, not NMFS or the State of Washington. I say let's get the best deal we can during relicensing recognizing that dam removal is not going to happen (as much as many of us would like it to).

Lastly, I'm the fish biologist from Vancouver that Reel Truth mentioned in his post. I will continue to provide as much fishing and fish biology information as I can since that's the purpose of the BB. In that light - NMFS is NOT agreeing with the Tribes on the Columbia River/ESA issues. NMFS is being told by the national policy makers in Washington DC that they WILL support the Tribes on this issue, both in the Columbia River and elsewhere around the country. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the same orders from the same folks in DC. NMFS couldn't change their position if they wanted to since it's a national policy position. The Regional Administrator from NMFS has said many times that their biggest challenge is to protect listed salmon while also fulfilling the Tribal trust responsibilities for fishing on the Columbia River and elsewhere. Doing both ain't easy and I hope we can all begin to see why.



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MSB