There are, or will be, significant problems with allowing Chinook to spawn in the Deschutes.

WDF actually released adults up there and monitored the returns. The unmarked adults that showed up could be explained as the surviving "drops" (hatchery fish the missed being clipped). The bigger problem is that if you get wild fish spawning up there there are expected to be ESA conflicts. Those conflicts would impact fisheries on the returning hatchery fish.

I do find it difficult to fathom why you had a fairly "pure" opportunity opportunity to harvest the hatchery fish (Tribal or NI) and it wasn't used. There used to be a pretty good Squaxin GN fishery that targeted those fish.

And thank you to Parker for the comments on hiring and staffing...