Gentlemen, Thank you for the response this disscussion and similar ones are to me the very valid reason for maintaining a presence on the www re. fish.
I personally happen to beleieve that the long term ocean cycles are undisputible and can be obseved by all who are obsevant and have paid attention to the runs of fish from L.A. to Barrow.
I was fortunate to be able to live in S.E. Alaska from 1978 through 1999 and during that time witnessed the rebound of virtually all the regions anadroumous stocks. One thing that always stood out in my mind was the almost parralell decline that was taking place in OreIdaWa and California. This was puzzeling and was always magnified on the years that the Cliamitoligist refered to as El Ninio. It became pretty obvios that good fishing in Ak. had a connection to weak runs in the South. Having many friends in the biological community this subject was disscussed ad nauseam and many interesting theories were advanced. Most like my own were not published or written, you see the professionals can also engage in BS sessions and provide there own version of antecdotal information.
The common thought that seem to be present in many of these talks was that warm ocean conditions was good for northern stocks and bad for southern stocks. Not very revealing stuff but when the fish your charged with managing are the ones doing so well most of the biolical decision are easier to make re. adequate escapement.
It looks like the pendelum has swung back, and while it may be a bit premature to say a rebound is on the way in Southern stocks of fish the northern stocks are showing a slight decline.
The references to overfishing on Kodiak socckeyes go all the way back to the early days of the Russian fur trade and later to the USFWS lack of manegment and escapement. As a side note Karluk sockeyes from Kodiak were transplanted in lake Ozzette and the Quinault which is an interesting local connection to all this.
Any way things look promising and I hope everybody can keep from peeing in there pants long enough to get a little extra escapment into what I regard as severly compromised riparian habitat. I fear that the harvest oriented types will look at afew extra fish for an excuse to loosen up on regulations. Be ever vigilant in the cause of wild stock protection!