Fish hatcheries: A 19th century fix that won’t die

Part one of a Crosscut series on the resilience of fish hatcheries despite the evidence they are detrimental to wild fish runs.

One might have thought, erroneously, that by the second decade of the 21st century, hatcheries would be on their way out. Decades ago, salmon advocates and detached scientists identified hatcheries as one of the “4Hs” — harvest, hydro, habitat loss and hatcheries — threatening the recovery and even survival of many wild salmon and steelhead populations.

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"This (empty) can may not be kicked down the road endlessly”

Good news and bad news.

A federal judge has declined to limit the number of juvenile spring chinook salmon that state fish managers can release from a hatchery into the McKenzie River.

But U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Coffin ordered the state Department of Fish & Wildlife to set a deadline on when it will signficantly cut the number of McKenzie hatchery-bred fish that mingle and spawn with wild native salmon above Leaburg Dam.

LINK (via:The Register Guard)

What a disappointment

Patagonia Fly Fishing Ambassador Dylan Tomine with a report from the recent Hatchery vs Wild Symposium put on by the American Fisheries Society.

I went down to Portland to check out the Hatchery vs Wild Salmonid Symposium put on by the American Fisheries Society. Given the title, and AFS’ history of fish conservation work (including endorsement of Snake River dam removal) I figured it would be a relatively balanced examination of the science around this issue. What a disappointment.

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AFS Hatchery vs. Wild Symposium

Key word here is reform.

The Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is sponsoring the Hatchery vs. Wild Salmonid Symposium – Research, Management, and Reform in the Pacific Northwest, January 22-23, 2015, at the Hilton Portland in downtown Portland, Oregon.

LINK (via: Osprey Steelhead News)

Replenish steelhead runs with return to hatcheries

Guest commentary from the we used to use leeches and blood letting for medical treatment department.

LINK (via: Herald.Net)

What Can Humans Do to Save the Pacific Northwest's Iconic Salmon?

The Skagit River and its remaining wild salmon and steelhead get some much needed attention in this very comprehensive Smithsonian article.

LINK (via: Smithsonian)