starcrafttom
Active member
Two things that are not being looked at or are not being reported. 1) all other pods of Orcas in the pacific, both transient and resident ( northern pods) are increasing in numbers. This is happening pacific wide but more so in the eastern pacific. But this one local pod is in trouble, even thu the population is just over the average since we have been keeping track. 2) to Jims point , since riffles died and a new male took over as the main breeder, cant remember his ID, the pod has been having trouble with calfs servicing. This very maybe a genetic problem. Just two thoughts.
As far as salmon numbers. 1) fund the hatcheries and hatchery REFORM. breed wild fish , if there is such a thing really, and not just hatchery returns. 2) shoot half the harbor seals in the sound and all the sea lions that are in rivers. Hatchery numbers of smolts do not mean shit if the smolts are eaten on the out migration. Its not the adult salmon that suffer from the seal number the most. WDFW put the carrying capacity of the sound for seals at 40k , its currently 160k. This is also the main reason for the decline and non recovery of rock fish. Seal lions are stopping the recovery of herring. WDFW had a bounty on seals until 1980? So this is not a new idea. 3) Stop the practice of netting in river. Just fing stop. A balance of hatchery, terminal stocks and habitat recover is needed.
The late 70s was the best fishing in the sound and what was going on. Lots of hatcheries, bounty on seal and no one no matter their color was allowed to net the river. And all this when commercial fisherman used to shoot at the ocras because there was so many. The bolt decision changed all that and its been down hill every since. Thank you for reading and I am not interested in other opinions any longer. The government is going to go on arguing about dams, boat traffic, habitat that no longer exist ,water conditions and other pet peezes and pet projects of morons until there are no salmon left ( 15 years or so) and then stand around pointing at each other as who is to blame.
As far as salmon numbers. 1) fund the hatcheries and hatchery REFORM. breed wild fish , if there is such a thing really, and not just hatchery returns. 2) shoot half the harbor seals in the sound and all the sea lions that are in rivers. Hatchery numbers of smolts do not mean shit if the smolts are eaten on the out migration. Its not the adult salmon that suffer from the seal number the most. WDFW put the carrying capacity of the sound for seals at 40k , its currently 160k. This is also the main reason for the decline and non recovery of rock fish. Seal lions are stopping the recovery of herring. WDFW had a bounty on seals until 1980? So this is not a new idea. 3) Stop the practice of netting in river. Just fing stop. A balance of hatchery, terminal stocks and habitat recover is needed.
The late 70s was the best fishing in the sound and what was going on. Lots of hatcheries, bounty on seal and no one no matter their color was allowed to net the river. And all this when commercial fisherman used to shoot at the ocras because there was so many. The bolt decision changed all that and its been down hill every since. Thank you for reading and I am not interested in other opinions any longer. The government is going to go on arguing about dams, boat traffic, habitat that no longer exist ,water conditions and other pet peezes and pet projects of morons until there are no salmon left ( 15 years or so) and then stand around pointing at each other as who is to blame.