2 things. 1 the only way augmented hatchery production will work is if hatcheries are able to meet their egg take needs for their current program AS WELL AS meet the additional needs to produce more fish. This is unfortunately not always the case. Many hatcheries are already barely making take for certain programs, and this will certainly limit augmentation into the future. 2nd thing, pumping out more hatchery fish DOES NOT correlate directly to more fishing opportunity. Our mixed stock fisheries are dependent upon wild encounters NOT the number of hatchery surplus available to harvest. Because of this our quotas and time on the water in mixed stock areas will still be limited to the SAME amount we have now based on what our allowable wild impacts are. We MIGHT see more opportunity in terminal areas with an increase in hatchery production, but that is a big MIGHT. We have to get agreement on the other side of the aisle any time we want to open new or expanded fisheries, and of late it seems like we have not been able to meet agreeable terms, speaking generally.

The Governor's Task Force on SRKWs would be far better off to watch and listen to the link provided in Eyefish's thread titled, "SRKW . . . the truth." Whale watching bans and removing the lower Snake River dams and increasing hatchery Chinook production won't do diddly squat for SRKWs unless they increase the supply of Chinook during the time and the place where they are presently limiting for the SRs.

With that thought in mind lets not forget the recent scientific study which concluded that pinnipeds take 7 times what all fishermen harvest and twice what Orca consume.

They’re going to initiate more studies on the issue of pinniped predation. Limited culling at choke points or when smolts are out-migrating would remove identifiable pinniped. Unfortunately, when the MMPA was passed, there were no provisions for what could be done when the populations were recovered. We didn’t have endangered Chinook in the 1970s nor starving orcas.

If hatchery production is increased, you ought not assume sport fishers, while we may enjoy slightly more productive angling due to higher numbers of fish being present, will be allocated any additional catch. Lest we forget, this is the Orca Task Force making recommendations; not the Puget Sound Sport Fishing Task Force.

This the point that the “plant fish stupid” crowd never gets. For the most part our ability to fish is limited by impacts to wild fish. Anything that is bad for wild fish is bad for fishermen. It does not matter how many fish they plant if we don’t have fishing opportunity.

This the point that the “plant fish stupid” crowd never gets. For the most part our ability to fish is limited by impacts to wild fish. Anything that is bad for wild fish is bad for fishermen. It does not matter how many fish they plant if we don’t have fishing opportunity.