With the Willapa closure ( it will be both Rec & Commercial ) the question is what about the Chehalis? Well the ocean harvest was not what was forecast, terminal tribal and NT Commercial the same. SB has it at 30% of forecasted catch.

Then the fact that it rained early resulting in no staging in the tidal areas as the fished moved right up 20 miles before stopping. No sea lice but scales not set at all which means it was around two days from the ocean to central Park which left all tidal fisheries hurting. Great fishing inland if you adjusted the way you fished to match up with the different fish behavior. In fact the two hatcheries on the Satsop have nearly 4 times the number of Coho on hand at the same week reported than in 2018. Also Chinook Broodstocking is 400% above 2018 but Chum not so. So one could assume that at the same place in time that the wild component is the same percentage but lot of Chum in the rivers but just stacking up with flows. With the river flows bottomed out again the fish in tidal are moving mostly on the incoming tide many with sea lice.

Redd counts on Coho at this time are a dream as the spawning streams are not watered up. The risk here is that if the NOAA weather forecast holds true and it does not rain until around the 24th of November that all three salmon species will have a substantial spawning in portions of the streams that they normally do not use. Add to the mix is when the rains come they are forecasted to be 3 weeks in duration will bring a flood event and gravel movement. This is normal but if the fish spawn down low because of flows the redds will take a hit to be sure.

For every bad indicator one can find the opposite with a good indicator as outlined above. The Chehalis Basin is unlike any other in the state, is totally rain driven, and harvest models show weeks of harvest but not the November brown out when nobody fishes and a huge portion of the runs come through. Last time they shut down the Rec fisheries off of harvest data the river made escapement ( Chinook no with old escapement goal but yes with the present goal ) on the brown out.

I do not envy Region 6 on this one. For myself the conflicting numbers and observations leave me clueless. Just plain no way no how to say with certainty just how the runs are performing. That is going to be Region 6's problem, they do not know. What to do you do when circumstances do not match up with historical data. It is a no win for staff no matter what they do!

"I do not envy Region 6 on this one. For myself the conflicting numbers and observations leave me clueless. Just plain no way no how to say with certainty just how the runs are performing. That is going to be Region 6's problem, they do not know. What to do you do when circumstances do not match up with historical data. It is a no win for staff no matter what they do!"

I think it means it's a good time to employ the cautionary principle. Which should be interpreted as meaning that harvest isn't the priority.

Well here is my take......Neither the QIN or the NT fished their complete schedule, all the hours they could have. We all know the rivers have lacked the normal rain fall, we don't know what's laying off the coast, just waiting for "Mother Nature" to get the rain fall necessary to move the fish.

Sports have always been told, "you're the least efficient" at having any real impact on the total run size.


WDFW is at the panic mode, "what to do ???? what to do ????", well the shut down the river mode has become one of the 1st items in the management plan.

I can tell you, there are fish moving in the Chehalis River, the Wynoochee, the Satsop and above Fuller Bridge, at this time !!!!!!

NOF and the model, set the in river season.....fish the model !!!!

I ran the combined commercial catch numbers against the pre-season 2019 NOF Model as well this morning.

COHO:
QIN at 27% of expected (4697/17293)
WDFW at 47% of expected (1995/4223)
Combined catches at 31% of expected (6692/21516)

CHUM:
QIN at 9.8% of expected (483/4931)
WDFW at 26% of expected (3315/12565)
Combined catches at 22% of expected (3798/17496)

If these catches are reflective of historic encounters by stat week, the actual runsize for coho is probably about one-third of forecast and the actual runsize for chum is probably closer to one-fifth of forecast.

If these runsize shortfalls are realized, the unfished wild coho run would NOT meet escapement goals with coho failing by ~8K and chum by ~7K

As a GH Advisor, I would have to agree with softbite and SalmoG conceding that the precautionary principle should probably rule the day.

Devils advocate time. As dismal as the commercial harvest numbers and tidal Rec season are the hatchery Coho & Chinook broostocking are 400% plus fish on hand above 2018 at the SAME point in time last year. So inland numbers say boom year but tide water say bust and I do not believe either one. One can reasonably assume that the early timed wild component performed the same as the hatchery and all simply cleared tide water weeks early which simply means the missing tide water harvest was way up river before the nets hit the water. Rained early and it screwed the tide water fisheries but inland was great. Until the November rains arrive and the fish hit the spawning reaches it is all a guessing game. Starting in five days NOAA has the upper Chehalis at about two inches over five days. The Olympic tributaries is forecast 3.32 for the same period. It is interesting how things work out.

Oh, all year it has been strange as I have seen few jumpers / rollers as I normally do. Bloody fish have been going right up the river not slowing until this past week at slack fish show along with seals and most of the movement on the incoming tide. In fact upstream the guys fishing will see them coming before they catch one.

Mother nature has a warped sense of humor. Rains early when we do not need it then does not rain when you do need it.

Your theory could very well explain the schizo coho numbers.

Chum, on the other hand, had not yet arrived in the basin with the early rains. Moreover, they have a habit of moving upriver regardless of rain or low water. They seem to just GO because that's what their internal clock says... and it should have happened in the week straddling Halloween. I believe in all probability that the poor commercial chum catches accurately reflect a run-size shortfall.

Now that I totally agree with Doc. The Chum seem to be hung up someplace.

They have Nov 7 up now and Coho hatchery numbers still twice 2018 but wild is 700 and 2018 it was 1500. Now on the Wishkah 2018 was 4500 H and 2019 is 1500. This is same point in time folks and these numbers change a lot in the last three weeks of Nov. It is all about stream flows that are never the same on a given date from year to year. So there is one certainty right now, nobody knows for sure just how the runs are performing.

When I began working with fish staff did not have lap tops or the mountains of data available now. They had to know the watersheds and all the interactions the fish have with the many environmental variables that are always present. With greater use of computer modeling those skill sets are mostly gone and that is not necessarily a good thing.

Thought I should add this. Lots of fish upstream and many are likely the fish that the harvest model said both tribal & commercial would catch. SB & Doc pointed out those numbers rather well. This is one of those years that the three net free days and no targeted Chinook fisheries dictated by the GH Policy is paying dividends to be sure. Then you have the Chum thing unfolding, time will tell.

Chum numbers seem to be down in a number of areas this year.
I haven't seen nearly the numbers in the south sound or canal that I normally due while searun cutt fishing.
Even the small creek near my house that school kids plant is way off the usual numbers for this time of year.
It will be interesting to see what shows up after the rain later this week.
SF

Here you are folks the change that all were waiting to see.

Dear Grays Harbor Advisors:

Early indications show Coho returns to tributaries along the coast appear to be lower than preseason forecasts. Due to the low returns, the department is proposing to reduce the daily adult salmon limit to one adult salmon for the freshwater Grays Harbor basin and Marine Area 2-2. Please contact myself, Mike Scharpf or Chad Herring if you wish to further discuss this information.
Sincerely,

Several folks asked me to see if the Humptulips changed with bag reduction and Chum was a concern. So I asked and this is the response from Kim. Might add this she got back like right now and I truly appreciate it as should all of you folks. Mike & Kim have done as good one could hope for in GH.

The Humptulips River regulations will remain as listed in the 2019-2020 Sport Fishing Rule pamphlet. Until Nov. 30 the regulations are: “Daily limit 6. Up to one adult may be retained. Release wild Chinook and wild coho”. Some concerns have been raised regarding Grays Harbor chum. To date the chum are returning to spawning grounds as expected. Fishing retention for chum is generally lower compared to coho. According to the 2017 catch record card data 513 chum were retained in the Grays Harbor freshwater basin (including the Humptulips River). For the same year and geographic area, coho retention was 7,970. Hope you find this information helpful and let me know if you have any further questions.

The latest flavor out and about.


Draft plan released to restore Chehalis River basin habitat
Public invited to weigh in on proposed aquatic species restoration plan.

CHEHALIS – During the past 30 years, salmon runs have declined 80% in southwest Washington’s Chehalis River basin due to habitat degradation, development, and climate change. By the end of the century, the basin’s spring chinook salmon could become functionally extinct, with fish numbers dropping too low to sustain the population.
But scientists, researchers, and technical experts have developed a draft aquatic species restoration plan designed to protect and restore salmon and other native aquatic species in the Chehalis basin’s 3,400 miles of perennial streams and rivers.

The public is invited to review and comment on the draft restoration plan now through Jan. 14, 2020 at http://chehalisbasinstrategy.com/asrp/asrp-phase-i-draft-plan/.
“The Chehalis basin is one of the state’s only major river systems with no salmon species listed as threatened or endangered,” said Emelie McKain, the basin’s aquatic restoration plan manager for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We want to keep it that way by restoring and protecting their habitat.”McKain said the basin is also home to Washington’s largest diversity of amphibians such as frogs and salamanders, including the federally-threatened Oregon spotted frog.

Aside from lost and degraded habitat, climate change is causing more frequent and intense storms that scour aquatic habitat in the basin while droughts are becoming more common during the summer, keeping stream flows low and raising seasonal water temperatures to levels that can threaten salmon and other native aquatic species.

The science-based draft restoration plan—with the voluntary cooperation of willing landowners—identifies potential actions that offer the best chance to:

Support healthy, harvestable salmon populations.

Build robust, diverse populations of other native fish and aquatic species.

Foster productive ecosystems more resilient to climate change and human-caused stressors.

The team of technical experts from the Quinault Indian Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Washington departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, and other entities who developed the draft plan worked with local farmers, foresters, and conservationists, other state and federal agencies, and local governments.

The team and the Chehalis Basin Board will use public comments to inform future phases of the plan’s development and implementation. The board was established by the state legislature to provide long-term oversight of the Chehalis Basin Strategy.

The Strategy is an ambitious collection of potential actions designed to improve and restore aquatic species habitat now and for future generations, while also making the basin a safer place for families and communities affected by flooding.

Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin administers legislative funding to put the combined fish and flood strategy in place and works closely with the board, local government representatives from Grays Harbor, Lewis, and Thurston counties, the Chehalis and Quinault Indian tribes, basin farmers and other landowners, and local conservation and salmon recovery entities. More information about the Chehalis Basin Strategy is available at https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Our-Programs/Office-of-Chehalis-Basin/Strategy.

I poked around the links in that Release and couldn't find anything integrating the proposed dam on the upper Chehalis. Not saying it isn't in there but if it is it is obscured......

I also "poked around"...and couldn't find any mention of "a dam" but I'm sure its on the minds of those that live in that area, that think the Dam is the answer to all the ill's of the Chehalis River in areas that were allowed to "build in the flood plain" .

This past spring into summer the Chehalis Basin was closed for angling to protect Spring Chinook. I think we all can agree that our Springers need to be protected but the manner it was done and the standards applied were of concern. I filed a Public Records Request and this internal e mail ( and several others ) along with a letter from the Deputy Director, Fish Program raised some serious questions outlined below.

I will post up the Deputy Directors letter in a bit. Forgive the formatting but when posting information I do not alter anything from the source.


Good morning Kirt,



On July 12, 2019 I submitted questions regarding the closure of the Chehalis Basin to all fishing. Subsequently on July 31, 2019 I received the attached response from the Assistant Director, Fish Program which is attached. I chose not to respond as I had a Public Records Request submitted and frankly felt that issue could be best served by waiting until I had enough information to address the issue. Let me be clear I fully support the protection of Chehalis Basin Spring Chinook now and will so in the future but feel I must take issue with the manner your subordinates utilized to address the issue. The e mail below from Rob Allan and several others provided the information to allow me to again address the issue as I have several questions.



It is my understanding that Chad herring, South Coast Fishery Policy Lead, reports to you for the management of salmon harvest. What I and others did not know was that Mr. Herring is the individual with the responsibility for all sport angling opportunity. It was my understanding, along with most of the public, that the Region 6 Fish Program Director, currently Mr. Losee, utilizes another process outside of NOF to set game fish seasons. Simply put just who and what process governs the Region 6 game fishing rule making process?

The July 31 response stated that a near zero harvest impact standard was to be used for Spring Chinook management for 2019 for the Chehalis Basin. The Deputy Director identified that the 2018 Spring Chinook escapement as 35% of the goal and 2019 projected to be 42% as justification for the closure to achieve near zero harvest impacts. As this is a standard that I have not seen applied prior is it now the Quinault Nation, Chehalis Confederation, and WDFW South Coast Fishery Policy Lead that presently set game fishing regulations?

Is all game fishing to be closed in lakes and streams that a salmon stock is forecast to be between 35% to 45% of the escapement goal?

Is the near zero impact standard utilized by Mr. Herring a standard for the Chehalis Basin Spring Chinook a Chehalis Basin standard only or is the new statewide standard?

The Grays Harbor Management Policy (GHMP) clearly identifies a maximum of 5% harvest impacts as a maximum allowed under the circumstances that exist with Spring Chinook in 2019 but as identified in the July 31 letter your staff chose to utilize the most extreme interpretation of the GHMP, why? The closure affected mostly the local angling public identified by Rob's e mail below that has historically had the least impact on Chehalis Springers if measurable at all.

With ESA listed salmon stocks in many parts of the state why was the Chehalis Spring Chinook protections far more strident than those utilized for ESA listed stocks in Puget Sound, the Columbia River and tributaries, and in general the rest of the state or is this the new non ESA stocks statewide standard? Is this standard going to be applied to game fishing statewide? If so why? If not why?


I believe my questions and the issues raised by Rob deserve an answer.

Dave



Rob Allan e mail thread:

Thanks Chad.



A few concerns regarding closing the Chehalis mainstem. I thought we were looking for ways to say yes?



Prohibits a popular hook and release sturgeon fishery.


Prohibits a popular invasive species fishery on bass. We know what these do.


Poor spring Chinook runs opens the door to decrease fisheries every year. I’m not speaking about spring Chinook fisheries.


If we can find a way to open sturgeon and bass fishing at least below Black River our constituents may swallow this a little easier.


If poor escapement can close a river down to all other species fishing, we are out of business.




Ok done,







Rob







From: Herring, Chad J (DFW) < Chad.Herring@dfw.wa.gov>



Sent: Monday, July 1, 2019 4:57 PM



To: Cunningham, Kelly J (DFW) < Kelly.Cunningham@dfw.wa.gov>; Adicks, Kyle K (DFW) < Vincent.Adicks@dfw.wa.gov>; Hughes, Kirt M (DFW) < Kirt.Hughes@dfw.wa.gov>; Burley, Craig C (DFW) < Craig.Burley@dfw.wa.gov>



Cc: Phillips, Larry C (DFW) < Larry.Phillips@dfw.wa.gov>; Allan, Robert C (DFW) < Robert.Allan@dfw.wa.gov>



Subject: Chehalis Spring Chinook







Kelly,



Just had a conversation with Tyler Jurasin from QIN regarding spring Chinook in the Chehalis system. Our forecasted return of spring Chinook to the Chehalis watershed is 581 fish compared to an escapement goal of 1,400 (41.5%). WDFW-managed directed Spring Chinook fisheries where closed in the Chehalis system, via e-reg on April 9th. As a further conservation measure all game fish fisheries were also closed, via e-reg on May 10th, where encounters with Spring Chinook were likely to occur (i.e. Chehalis mainstem, Newaukum and Skookumchuck rivers). This emergency regulation expired on June 30. QIN expressed their concern over the forecasted returns of Spring Chinook as well as the environmental conditions those fish will/are encountering could further reduce an already low forecasted return. QIN is considering a continuing closure of their sturgeon fishery on the Chehalis side of Grays Harbor throughout the entirety of their season. They would not prosecute any fisheries until the beginning of the fall season in statistical week 40 (week of Sept. 29th).



My recommendation is to immediately close gamefish fisheries in the mainstem Chehalis, Newaukum, and Skookumchuck Rivers until further notice as a conservation measure to protect Chinook. On August 1, the Chehalis mainstem from the mouth to south monte bridge is planned to be open for a directed jack fishery. This fishery takes place in the lower river and poses little to no risk of spring Chinook encounters. I discussed this fishery with QIN and we were in agreement that this fishery poses little risk to spring Chinook populations. So, after August 1 thru the end of the month, I would recommend below south monte bridge revert to rules as discussed in NOF 2019 but for mainstem above and relevant tribs (Newaukum and Skookumchuck rivers) remain closed through the end of the month.



Chad Herring



South Coast Fishery Policy Lead



Montesano Regional Headquarters



48 Devonshire Rd



Montesano WA, 98563



Office#:(360)249-1299



Cell #:(360)470-3410



Chad.herring@dfw.wa.gov<mailto:Chad.herring@dfw.wa.gov>

This is the letter from the Deputy Director mentioned in the previous post minus the graphs.

July 31, 2019


Dear Mr. Hamilton,
Thank you for your e-mail and comments regarding the closure of all fishing in the Chehalis, South Fork Chehalis, Newaukum, and Skookumchuck Rivers. The Department values public input and transparency and works to implement those comments into fisheries management for the Grays Harbor watershed.

This closure is a conservation measure to protect spring Chinook in the Chehalis River basin. Spring Chinook in the Chehalis system are a true “wild” stock, in other words, there is no hatchery
supplementation of spring Chinook in this watershed therefore, all returning adults are produced by the natural environment. The forecasted return of spring Chinook to the Chehalis River watershed for 2019 is predicted to be quite low, at 581 fish it is less than 42% of the established escapement goal of 1,400. Compounding the concern is that the preliminary estimate of spring Chinook spawner escapement for 2018 in the Chehalis River system is 495 fish; merely 35% of the goal. With these points in mind, and consistent with Fish and Wildlife Commission Policy on Grays Harbor Salmon Management (C-3621) which directs the Department of maintain fisheries impacts below 5%, staff sought to limit impacts on this stock for the 2019 fishery season from terminal fisheries (either directed and non-directed) to near zero.

As you mention in your e-mail, this closure is not unexpected given this year’s forecasted return but you disagree with the “lower than normal stream flows” as a justification for the emergency regulation closure dated July 2, 2019. Unfortunately, the “reason for action” in the Fishing Rule Change form dated July 2, 2019 inadvertently omitted language referencing the forecasted return of spring Chinook in 2019 combined with small population sizes typical of spring Chinook populations in the Chehalis. The forecasted return in relation to the spawner escapement goal is the primary justification for this closure. The environmental conditions referenced in the “reason for action” are accurate, however, this closure is a necessary conservation measure to protect spring Chinook.

Another point raised in your comments is that the closure is too expansive and indicated that implementation of alternative management strategies such as shifts in time, area, and gear may limit impacts to spring Chinook to acceptable levels. This argument is not without merit and was discussed as part of the Agency’s deliberation around how to best implement effective conservation measures for the Chehalis River spring Chinook stock in 2019. While indirect mortalities on spring Chinook resulting from the prosecution of gamefish fisheries is likely low, the Department does not have data that would indicate the impact would be zero. To the contrary, the available data on spring Chinook run timing in the Chehalis River watershed would indicate there is some probability of encountering spring Chinook during gamefish fisheries. Figure 1 (below) shows the average monthly Catch Record Card (CRC) harvest estimate of Chinook in the Chehalis River from 1986-2016. The CRC harvest estimate for the Chehalis River shows, when spring Chinook directed fisheries were open, 24 spring Chinook were harvested on average in July. Spring Chinook directed fisheries in July make up 13% of the total annual spring Chinook harvest when open. Figure 2 (below) shows the average weekly Chinook catch in Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) fisheries from 1996-2015. The QIN prosecutes sturgeon directed gillnet fisheries in the spring and summer; spring Chinook are encountered and harvested during these fisheries. These QIN fisheries occur in their usual and accustomed fishing areas, from the mouth of the Chehalis River (Hwy 101 Bridge in Aberdeen) to the confluence of the Wynoochee River.

From the graph you can see the average QIN harvest of spring Chinook for the years listed is 12 fish. Quite simply, these two data sources would suggest spring Chinook are present during the prosecution of gamefish fisheries and do have a probability of encounter. Specific quantitative data around that probability of encounter and any associated mortalities is unavailable. The Department considered all the data and factors above in relation to reaching a management objective of a near zero impact. Given the lack of specific information around the number of impacts likely to occur in gamefish fisheries, forecasted runsize, recent year abundance trends, and environmental conditions the Department decided upon a conservative approach and closed all fishing where the probability of a spring Chinook encounter was likely.

As mentioned above, the Agency had a management objective of near zero impact to Chehalis River spring Chinook for 2019. During the 2019 North of Falcon process, beginning with the public meeting held on February 26, 2019 at the Montesano City Hall, agency staff gave a presentation on performance of Grays Harbor’s fisheries for 2018 and forecasts for the 2019 salmon return. In that presentation on Grays Harbor fisheries, slide 12 (Figure 3 below) identified spring Chinook as a constraining stock for 2019. During the forecast meeting and other successive NOF meetings there was discussion that the directed spring Chinook fishery would need to be closed given the forecast in relation to the spawner escapement goal and the objective per Commission policy of having less than a 5% impact. During the month of May, agency representatives meet separately with representatives from QIN and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation (CTC) around the shared conservation concerns regarding spring Chinook in the Chehalis River Basin. These discussions resulted in the shared management objective between all the management entities of near zero impact to this stock in 2019. Both the QIN and CTC spring and summer fisheries that could have direct and non-direct impacts to spring Chinook have been closed with the exception of one adult spring Chinook harvested by CTC for ceremonial purposes. As described above, the action WDFW took around this shared management objective was to close all fishing where encounters of spring Chinook may occur until July 1, 2019. This was the first emergency regulation that was put in place on May 13, 2019. The co-managers (QIN and WDFW) had some follow-up discussion at the end of June over the conservation concern for spring Chinook. During that discussion, conversation centered on the lack of information to update spring Chinook runsize as well as worsening environmental conditions that would only exacerbate the conservation concern. This discussion, our associated data and the information described above was what led the Department to file the emergency regulation closing all fishing effective July 2, 2019.

It is of critical importance that the public be fully informed of the rules and regulations that the Department utilizes to reach conservation and management objectives associated with managing natural resources. It is also important that the rules and regulations that are adopted and translated into Washington Administrative Code (WAC) are easy to understand and are enforceable. The Department
encourages an open dialogue with the public to ensure that the WAC’s adopted meet the desired outcome in terms of the conservation and management objectives for those specific natural resources. The Department manages natural resources for the public benefit and it is vital that the public have a say in how they are managed in order to have trust and support in the Department’s actions. The Department recognizes that in order for the public to trust and support our actions those decisions must be made in a transparent manner. The Agency is always looking to improve on the transparency of our decision making processes as well as making fishers aware of emergency actions that have taken place.

As we look to strengthen our commitment to transparency and information sharing, your comments will be considered.

From Rob Allan email thread:

"If poor escapement can close a river down to all other species fishing, we are out of business."

No Sh!t Sherlock! This mirrors the 3 1/2 month closure of the Stillaguamish basin to all fishing. The Stilly has long been a popular summer fishery for summer run steelhead and sea run cutthroat trout. Fishing for Chinook has been prohibited for the last half century or longer. So we learned that the real reason for the sport fishing closure was because the Tribe objected to any and all sport fishing where even one Chinook might be inadvertently harmed, WDFW agreed to throw most of the sport fishing season under the bus, not to actually achieve increased conservation for Chinook, since salmon fishing is always prohibited, but because the treaty tribes control the Department's actions.

So a perfect conclusion is expressed in Rob's email, as the Departments jumps off the cliff of irrelevancy, it is rapidly approaching the day where it may as well turn off the lights and lock the doors to the anadromous fish section of the Fish Program. The upside is that the Department's budget crisis should be alleviated somewhat by going out of business.

For decades, WDFW tried to maximize "opportunity" by trying to craft regulations that avoided species in need of protection. Folks complained a lot about how "complex" the regs were and how thick the pamphlet was. Now, as Salmo suggests, close it for all fishing when anything needs protection.

I will add that we were often hit with the push by the Tribes that "If you fish, we fish". regardless of whether or not the fisheries targeted the same species/stocks. FABs were conducted over this.

Also, when I started out, I was under the impression that th State Agencies )WDF, WDG, CDFG, ADFG, etc.) were the experts of all things fish and fishing. If they did't know the answer, they studied it to find out. Spent a career learning THAT was a stupid idea.

C'man,

WDFW has high expertise in matters of fish biology and ecology. Problems seem to arise when technical line staff are promoted and move into management positions. I've thought for a long time that when they are sent to those management retreats, some potion is poured into the policy punch bowl, and when they return to their agencies they have lost their grounding in honesty and commitment to public service.

I think at the next Commission meeting I will ask the Commissioners to direct the Director to ban the use of the terms "transparent" and "transparency" in letters and emails from the agency to members of the constituent public until such time as they actually walk the talk. I'm finding it insulting, condescending, and patronizing to read that term in communications dishonestly informing me that they have adopted an action for fish conservation reasons, when in fact they adopted the action because one or more treaty tribes coerced them to.

Well, yeah. Survival, with promotion, requires compromise. But, look at the technical background of recent leadership such as Atkins and Warren. The staff with expertise and resource integrity were passed over/neutered.

Might add that in the late 80s early 90s the State embarked on the Career Executive program with the idea that executives were interchabgable. You didn't need technical skills from your agency but just how you manage people/carry out policy. Some current staffers have told me that agency now values "Emotional Maturity" above technical skills.