I am still looking around, trying to get a hold of the WDFW budget proposal for next year but I saw an email from NSIA which contained various proposals.

One proposal was for the closure of the Sol Duc Hatchery which would eliminate the spring chinook fishery on the Sol Duc, the summer coho and drastically reduce the amount of fall coho in the system. It would also elimante the hatchery in which the Snider Creek Steelhead are incubated, many of the Bogey river steelies and over a million Elwha River chinook smolts.

Once I can get the actual budget propsal in my hand I will post further but I just saw the email tonight.

Your action must be taken as the Sol Duc hatchery helps support the town of Forks especially during the off month of May. Plus, it would eliminate and/or drastically reduce very popular fisheries.

Interesting news Ryan ... please forward anything you find out about it. I've heard "rumors" for several years, but never seen anything in print.

Frankly, it's a hard call on this one. Some parts of the hatchery program are good, some not so good.

The incubation facilites are important to a number of other programs, including Snider Creek.

The fall coho program has created an outstanding fishery on the river for some huge silvers. BUT ... it comes at the expense of the state allowing five days a week netting for the tribes and the wild king run gets hammered ... one reason you've seen a lot more pictures of released chinook on my site over the past few days, hope many did the same!

I wouldn't have any trouble with the tribes coming up and sweeping the hatchery hole if it meant that they'd lay off the kings at the mouth. If we could couple that with restrictions on the sports angler, the kings might have a long term chance!

One question, if they're raising 1 million smolt for the Elwah, where are all those fish going?? Even at a 1% return rate, there certainly can't be that many kings coming back to the river!