It is interesting, or perhaps depressing, that in the early years of Boldt, at least through the 80s, numbers were all publicly available. Run sizes (including in season), all catches, current allocations, harvests remaining were all in one or two places. The weekly escapement and current egg-take) to hatcheries (state) was available at least by phone. It was all there, out in the open if you wanted to know. Why the secrecy now?

The numbers were always posted on WDFW website NT and QIN commercial. Then they disappeared so I asked and I posted what I was told. From my place in the cheap seats stupid way to do things. That said WDFW and the QIN have been going at it since Boldt and I really do not look for any change. Having been around both for years if you get to the bottom of it usually it is simply the QIN responding to WDFW poking them in the eye. Oh did I mention that both staffs really don't care for the other that much.

Back before computers, I used to call WDG guys that worked at hatcheries for run info. All very helpful and knowledgeable. One guy named Bob Leland, I think was the steelhead program manager at the time, I would call to obtain paper copies of state wide steelhead smolt plants. He would pkg up and send them snail mail. All it took was phone call. I still have them today. They date back to 1983. Tom Cropp was our local bio and full of information and assisited in our local wild brood stock program. Wonder if those guys are still around? Those WDG guys were part of the steelhead community and would bend over backwards to help. My how things have changed!

That's how it used to work. I think it was called "public service". Bob retired about a decade ago, rather pushed out. He's still here in Olympia. I think Tom left before and don't know his status.

Back when I was in salmon, each of the folks in the unit had their "own" commercials who would call up every Friday for info on the coming week's schedule, the run sizes, the why's and wherefores.

And here is the WDFW response to me on posting QIN catch numbers.


Hope you are well. Thanks for the inquiry, but no we will not be posting tribal catch data on our website. As you are aware, the Quinault Indian Nation regulates their own fisheries, which includes monitoring and enforcement. Collectively, the Co-managers, WDFW and QIN, meet pre-season, in-season, and post season to share our respective data sets and technical expertise on attaining our shared management goals. I realize in the past that information had been available when it was made available to staff but that was problematic as it set up a public expectation around timeliness of that information that our staff had no control over. Lastly, we do not have agreement to share preliminary in-season data as final catch estimates, those data must undergo QA/QC and typically isn’t finalized until post season.

Thanks,
Chad