I see the trout fishing closure as a direct consequence of guides and other very visible anglers choosing to ignore the pink closure in 2017 and deliberately targeting pinks for catch & release. The next step, if this doesn't work, is a clear "sturgeon fishing only" regulation that will include minimum hook sizes and other gear restrictions. C&R is NOT a zero mortality fishery, especially in warm waters and especially with pinks - those fish bleed out if you sneeze at them. I hope we do get a window to target pinks in the Fraser, but until then I hope everyone can resist the temptation to test the waters by saying they are targeting something else.
Also, it makes sense to me that the Fraser returns would be relatively better than those on the Squamish and other smaller systems because the pinks that spawn in the main stem and side channels of the Fraser I THINK didn't suffer the same extreme gravel moving events as the smaller rivers. Just spitballing.