Hakai Magazine has published an excellent overview of the issue of hatchery salmon. Author Jude Isabella has dove deep into the history of hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest. This is part of a larger project called The Paradox of Salmon Hatcheries. The work is also available in audio format. I highly recommend this to anyone that thinks they know that hatcheries are a “good thing” The history just doesn’t support it.
From their beginnings in the late 19th century, salmon hatcheries have gone from cure to band-aid to crutch. Now, we can’t live without manufactured fish.
Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Science, fisheries, Salmon |
Thanks for sharing this Al! It is such a great series and I agree with you, the audio portion was poetic! We were thrilled to see mention of fish traps and selective fishing featured as a part of the solution in the first article. I had been down last week after the release of a similar article https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/24/pacific-northwest-federal-salmon-hatcheries-declining-returns/ that came out last week, which seemed to suggest wild salmon are doomed and we should stop prioritizing their recovery over creating more resilient hatchery fish.
This series has me feeling uplifted once again and hopeful for the future.
Best, Emma