Well SG I will hop up on the box. I need to do a bit more but my thoughts are below.

I am writing on the issue of the Willapa review. Attached is a summary of the probable outcome of the current Willapa Management Policy ( WMP ) that I submitted to the Commission sometime back. Since that time the problems have gone from bad to worse as returning adults encountered ICH and very low flows resulting in a large mortality. This is not a passing thing but the likely outcome year after year which will create a nearly unmanageable outcome. The streams and facilities do not lend themselves to the approach taken in the WMP. To make matters worse the WMP was dependent on Naselle Hatchery Chinook staying but that was solved which while complying with HSRG resulted in a natural production dropping to unsustainable levels. Simply put the WMP is failing dramatically and drastic steps are required as this simple fact exist. Willapa estuary natural Chinook production is NOT large enough to the support almost any harvest and getting worse each generation. The results of the WMP has been to decimate the local communities dependant on the hatchery production. Willapa T&U areas were famous for great small boat fishers, your Mom & Pop fishers, and WDF&W has nearly destroyed it in the quest for the perfect solution.

To keep it brief I urge the consideration of the following actions.

1. Designate the Willapa River, the location of the Forks Creek Hatchery, as a sustaining stream and immediately return the Forks Creek production to 3.5 million smolt or greater if possible. This will return the staying to the previous rate but only the Willapa River has the ability to insure the returning adults survive. When as in all things the Forks Cr. facility closes it will take 3 to 4 generations but the natural genetics will reassert themselves.

Additionally I urge that as much of the Chinook eggtake at Naselle and Nemah hatcheries be transferred as soon as possible to Forks Cr to stave off the absolute collapse of the Willapa bay fisheries.

2. Designate the Naselle River as Chinook prime and reduce Chinook production to 350k to 450k. Develop a real strategy for the recovery of the Chinook population. The best genetically is to take a portion NOR returns ( wild ) rear and release unmarked so the returning adults will be passed upstream of the hatchery. As the NOR population increases it would allow for a larger eggtake and smolt releases until the population reaches the desired level then begin to reduce the supplementation until the population is a standalone wild fish population.

3. Reduce the Nemah Chinook smolt to the 350k to 450k. This is important as the Nemah and Naselle production would become the safety net for Forks Cr. Transferring eggs is not normally a good practice but Willapa is different. The entire Willapa estuary production wild or hatchery is genetically the same Naselle and Nemah rivers are the wrong place to do Chinook for harvest.

As the WMP review proceeds I urge the Director and Commission to seriously get involved. The WMP as currently written was full of good intentions that has fallen victim to unintended consequences and poor choices. In computer terms a hard reboot is needed if anything regarding hatchery production is to succeed.