Originally Posted By: Smalma
Fleaficker -

I agree that the status quo has not been working. The issue is that since the ESA listing of Puget Sound Chinook in the vast majority (all?) of the Puget Sound basins the key habitat supporting the region's Chinook has continued to decline. If Puget Sound wild Chinook and by extension any fishing in the sound is to have future the status quo of declining habitat has to be reverse.

The beauty of the stimulation provided by tidal exchange is that one can test your theory that all that needs to be done is reduce the harvest some and improve the habitat to support 10 to 20% more fish. To test your idea I increased the habitat capacity to 940 spawners (125% increase) and reduced all fishing impacts to zero (as much as harvest can be reduced) and still without the conservation tribal hatchery program the population still goes extinct.

Unfortunately more and more the habitat situation on the Stillaguamish is becoming the norm and without changing the status quo of declining habitat quality the region's ESA listed Chinook are head directly towards extinction. Yes we can and probably should reduce fishing but all that will do is buy a little time before to inevitability of extinction.

Curt


I absolutely agree, and thank you. My point is that, realistically, prolonging it is the best we can do at this point, so why not do that instead of accelerating the process (the status quo)? One thing we never try is letting more wild fish spawn, more often, on purpose. Never have, and I'll bet you a dollar we never will. Just too economically painful, I guess....