"Wrong fish, wrong place, wrong approach, that simple."

That's the part that makes the most sense to me. I just cannot help but think this Willapa Chinook management system is completely bass-akwards. If the Naselle has the best habitat for a wild Chinook population, and the Naselle hatchery is a POS facility, and the Naselle weir is flawed, and perhaps fatally so, then it seems most logical to shut down the Naselle hatchery (save money the Dept doesn't have) and let the Naselle River be the wild Chinook tributary of Willapa Bay.

Then restore hatchery Chinook production to Forks Creek hatchery on the Willapa River. The hatchery was remodeled or renovated not that long ago and appears to be a good production station. Further, my familiarity with the Willapa River suggests that it isn't likely to be a good producer of naturally self sustaining wild Chinook any time in the foreseeable future due to the prevalent land use of forestry and agriculture. None of the Willapa tributaries were great Chinook streams historically, and it's fundamentally illogical to expect any of them, particularly the Willapa River, to become a viable wild Chinook habitat when there is zero intention to change or modify the watershed's land use.

Produce hatchery Chinook in the Willapa and wild Chinook in the Naselle. How can that not be more consistent with habitat reality, economic viability, and come closest to the apparent management goals of having both the benefits of hatchery Chinook and a mostly feel good, but viable wild Chinook population in the stream best suited to achieving that end?

Sg