Taken from blog,
What I notice immediately is the position of the red and green lines and the labels that suddenly appear with them. The original green and red lines in the first figure were established through rigorous scientific processes involving stock assessment experts (PSARC stands for Pacific Stock Assessment Review Committee). As best I recall those processes and outputs occurred about 30 years ago. Yesterday I see the red line or minimum escapement target now defined as 8,000, roughly one third of what it was in all previous history. No explanation has been provided on the origin or rationale for the revisions. How convenient, though. With FLNRORD broadcasting material casting doubt about the accuracy of the test fishery (portrayed as always underestimating but never overestimating steelhead stock size) and supporting angling guide pronouncements about the very real possibility of a late pulse of steelhead that will erase any conservation issue, the skeptics among us might conclude the major downward revision of the escapement targets had nothing to do with conservation and everything to do with maintaining the status quo.
