Lost in the weeds here is that there is, has been, and probably never will be a goal to look at the ecosystem in WB, evaluate what species it can produce, and then manage for that.

For better or for worse, management is based on what fisheries it supports. Whether or not WB is really a Chinook watershed, the fish produced (at least in the hatcheries) feed "important" fisheries like BC and the coast.

It was, and is, always interesting to hear "manage for the fish", "do what the fish need" but it always carries a fishery component. But, nobody wants to talk about that. I like Riverguy's description of the separate groups of gill netters there. It is easy to see the political power plays.