non yak santa cruz salmon

Have native Chinook ever been off-limits in the ocean in CA? (besides the last 2 seasons lol)

this is true sin coast. 

i guess part of it is since not all hatchery fish are fin clipped, you can't really tell the difference.  as to why they're not all fin clipped....????!?!

On the inverse, why not release all salmonids w/ in tact adipose fins? The only non-fin clipped fish I know of are the ones done by non-state agencies and the few that slip through. Both are the minority so why not treat all salmon w/ adipose fins as native?

Have native Chinook ever been off-limits in the ocean in CA?

That doesn't mean you should bag 'em does it? With currently weak runs isn't it morally responsible to only retain hatchery fish? Maybe this is more fit for a politics of fishing thread.

Sorry if I rained on your parade Bulldog. Just when I see nates being bagged it irks me. The only reason we have fisheries that survive in the NW is because of management and insane regulations. Being able to salmon fish is the reason why I kayak fish and I wish for strong healthy runs for all of us on the west coast.

Z

i hear you z. you were kinda crappin me out bro. but i hear your point. you actually did bring a good point to light. but it would have been more applicable on another thread like you mentioned. tight lines. bulldog

i guess part of it is since not all hatchery fish are fin clipped, you can't really tell the difference.  as to why they're not all fin clipped....????!?!

so why not treat all salmon w/ adipose fins as native?

Mortality rate of troll caught fish.  Throwing back a half dozen natives before plugging a hatchery fish can't be very good if the fish going back are not living.

respect the mullet

Mortality rate of troll caught fish.  Throwing back a half dozen natives before plugging a hatchery fish can't be very good if the fish going back are not living.

I think the problem you're addressing is handling of fish. I agree that salmon are fragile but only if they're not handled correctly. Since Cali requires barbless hooks getting them to the yak and unhooking them them with a dehooker while still in the water is plenty easy and gives them a good chance at survival.
More here:

Z

That de-hooker is pretty slick, I think handling is only half of the issue though. I think they do sustain a bit of trauma getting hooked and drug behind a boat for a bit, especially larger fish, deeper fish and fish caught on spectra.  Then there's the fish that take a hook to the gills on the take, the only coho I've had to release took the hook to a raker.