Let's review what we know.

This spring as part of the NOF process the co-managers released a winter chum (Nisqually) forecast of 23,000. According to WDFW's score page the escapement goal for those winter chums on odd years is 18,000. Both the south Puget Sound and Hood Canal fall chum runs had in season updates that nearly doubled the forecasted numbers.

Questions that come to mind is what information do the co-managers have to indicate that the winter chum run will be below escapement needs? Has as Sky-Guy suggests were significant numbers of those chum intercepted in other fisheries? Given recent lack of transparency in manage actions the last several years we are not likely to know the answers to those questions for sometime.

However perhaps the larger concerning issue is that closing game fish seasons on the Nisqually due to the lack of harvestable is just another example of new co-manager management paradigm of closing any game fishery on anadromous waters where there are not harvestable salmon. This has been an issue on the Skagit and Stillaguamish and in the last few months there are several examples of that paradigm spreading. These game fish closures effect not only robust wild populations but also fisheries directed at hatchery steelhead (both summers and winters). This does not bode well for those have enjoy various anadromous game fish seasons on Puget Sound rivers.

Curt