4Salt- There is a commercial fishery on the snohomish system kings- It's the Tulalip fishery in Tulalip bay and along Hermosa beach. Before the tulalips started marking their kings -a lot - and I mean a lot-of the fish in the totes at the buyers dock were clipped. I also wonder what the effect of filling in the Estuary at the mouth of the Snohomish with Seattles toxic waste has had on the fish returns.

sfstilly-
Not sure that I buy your argument that the Tulalips are catching a lot of the Skykomish fish. The data that I have seen stretching back to the beginning of that fishery is that the vast majority of the fish caught in either the sport or tribal fishery were released in Tulalip Bay. I have no reason to suspect that data and based on it the Tulalip bubble may be one of the "cleaner" fisheries around.

I think you have hit on an important point regarding the condition of the Snohomish estuary. That degraded condition has a huge impact on the wild Chinook production. Of the top of my head the Snohomish basin's capacity to produce Chinook is only about 20% of what it once was. Further about half that lost production is the result of changes in the estuary.

I do argee with 4salt that it is far to early to know for sure what this year's run strength will be. Not sure if follows if the run does not materialize as expect means that it was mis-managed. One thing that has become abundantly clear over the last several decades is that regardless of the species, hatchery or wild our anadromous runs will vary considerably from year to year.

Tight lines
Curt

Smalma
I haven't seen any Documentation about harvest at Tulalip Bay I am just stating what I have seen. I helped butcher fish a couple of years for the Tulalips salmon ceremony and also just 'rubber neckin' around on the docks for many years. Not once did I see any sort of tally made about marked v. unmarked fish exvessel. This was before the tribe started marking their fish. Also saw quite a few hogs hit the dock that sure didn't look "hatchery" to me. Maybe Stilly or Snohomish summer fish. I caught my first snohomish salmon over a half century ago and it is a crying shame what has happened to this once great river.
If anybody wants to know what the good old days on the snohomish were all about they should read Bob Heirmans (sp) book My Beloved Snohomish County.