The IUCN report entitled “The Great Salmon Run: Competition Between Wild and Farmed Salmon” is a wonderful resource as a review of the state of salmon fisheries and related subtopics at the year 2007. I will be utilizing this report to further my understanding on what the state of salmon fisheries in North America is (or was back in 2007), and I will be complementing this with further reviews of more recent scientific papers to help me understand today’s efforts in salmon conservation.
Chapter 4:THE ROLE OF HATCHERIES IN NORTH AMERICAN WILD SALMON
This chapter begins by distinguishing the difference among purely wild salmon (salmon born from wild salmon in streams/rivers) versus “ranched” salmon (bred in hatcheries and released into the wild to grow and return as adults) versus “farmed” salmon (salmon bred, matured, and harvested in hatcheries and fish farms). After this much-needed clarification, the authors stress on the development of hatchery programs in the USA in recent decades. In the early decades of hatchery programs, the additional ranched and bred salmon acted as stock enhancement, but as the demand for salmon grew over time (and subsequently the rise in hatchery programs due to salmon popularity and technological innovation), we responded by producing more ranched salmon. Recent research has alluded to the potential changes in fitness, genetic diversity, and competition that ranched and escaped farmed salmon enact on wild stocks, but the economic drivers (sport/recreational fishing, demand for salmon) to increase salmon farming and hatchery activity overpowers the cautious approach suggested by fish biologists. Table IV below illustrates salmon fry releases in millions of fish in the year 2000; note especially the total amount of Alaska (1479.9) vs. Canada (337.9) vs. Pacific Northwest (338.4). In my study of salmon conservation, this report illustrates graphically the importance of Alaska as it relates to hatchery activity, among others.
Here is a link to the full PDF online version of the IUCN report.
Knapp, Gunnar, Cathy A. Roheim, and James Lavalette Anderson. The great salmon run: competition between wild and farmed salmon. TRAFFIC North America, 2007.
