Twodogs -

Thanks for the comments and refreshing view. The idea behind the proposal was to generate discussions to explore that collectively the States fishers are taking full advantage of abundant hatchery stocks while staying within conservation and legal constrains. Responsive management whether with rod and reel or gill nets requires that the full suite of fisheries take in account all the resource needs; including hatchery escapements.

In 2016 in Puget Sound hatcheries there were surpluses of more than 50,000 hatchery fall Chinook. Interestingly the only hatchery in 2016 had brood stock issues was the Samish where the vast majority of the fish were taken in terminal gill nets (both non-treaty and treaty). Just one example where the co-managers have a collectively duty to craft fishing paradigms to address full range of resource needs regardless of fishing methods.

I agree that there are several examples of where the non-treaty fishing fleet (mostly hook and line) have taken more than 1/2 of the allowable ESA impacts and/or harvestable numbers. Off the top of my head a couple examples would be the Stillaguamish and Mid-Hood Canal stocks. In both of those cases there has been limited tribal fisheries and even though the non-treaty fishers "over fished" that action did not constrain the local tribal fisheries. Are you suggesting that all parties only fish up to 1/2 of ESA impacts or harvestable numbers and then end all fishing. Suspect the recreational fishers would buy into that paradigm but not so sure that some of the tribal fishers would be particularly happy limiting their catches to only 1/2 of the available fish. The last I looked the harvest ledger while favoring the non-treaty fisheries in a few cases is generally slanted towards the treaty side.

The real question is along the various co-manager parties craft fisheries that can mean their needs and not infringe on other parties from exercising their fisheries, meeting conservation and hatchery escapements does any party have the right to dictate how the others fish. I think not.



Curt