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[RalphH]

 Hatcheries and artificial salmon rearing have unwanted and problematic consequences for wild salmon populations, however, re-introduction of salmon to the Okanagan has been a success story, according to a local salmon expert.

Dr. Scott Hinch, local Summerland resident and Director of the Natural Resources Conservation Program at UBC, told iNFOnews.ca that the Okanagan Nation Alliance’s reintroduction of salmon into Okanagan rivers has been successful for a multitude of reasons.

Part of this success rests on the Indigenous leadership of the hatcheries, Hinch said.

“I've been to the hatchery. I've toured it and I know the people that work there. It's a very professionally run hatchery that produces large numbers of sockeye juveniles. The technological advancements that were involved in that hatchery was impressive compared to ones that were built in the 1970s and 80s,” he said.
...
 “We are actually, ironically, at a point in history where we are at the highest abundance of salmon existing in the Northeast Pacific Ocean," Hinch said. "Which is somewhat counterintuitive when you hear all the issues associated locally with declining salmon runs and not many fish returning."

Despite these issues surrounding the industry, the Okanagan Nation Alliance has been spearheading a large hatchery program for Sockeye and Chinook salmon for the past several years."


https://infotel.ca/newsitem/why-okanagan-salmon-hatcheries-are-more-successful-than-their-controversial-counterparts/it101165

[salmonrook]

It seems odd that the this story espouses the benefits of the sockeye hatchery , which was being  re introduced into Osoyoos Lake .
But foreshadows the story saying that every other hatchery is outdated and is only harming the wild stocks .
Seems a pretty clear double standard .
 Hatcheries all provide volume to the salmon stocks , without them they would be no fishery , commercial or recreational .
 Broodstock are supplied in each river that the salmon returns to and because of the large number of eggs in each salmon , it only takes 20-25 pairs of salmon to provide a hatchery with between 45,000 to 60,000 eggs . Plenty for the needs of the hatchery .
As for the interbreeding , this would happen naturally in the river .
In fact some rivers the number of returning wild salmon out number the hatchery ones 4 to 1 ..

[RalphH]

You have a problem with a reasoned & fair presentation of issues? You have a problem with a fact based empirical approach approach?

I am only providing links to stories that may be of interest and perhaps can provoke some discussion.

You have your time lines mixed up. I posted the story about the study of upper Columbia River hatcheries 3 weeks from this one so it foreshadows nothing. There was no political agenda. The Upper Columbia story was just about that region's hatcheries and nothing else.

 You also have your facts muddled. For example hatcheries did not reintroduce sockeye to Osoyoos lake. They were not extirpated. Hatcheries was just one part of bringing back sockeye in the Okanagan to numbers not seen in over 30 years.

I don't know if you missed the aspect in this article where one example of 'improvements' was not using a surface feeding method for raising young salmon which is mostly unnatural and a habit that exposes them to predation in the wild. Be open minded that hatcheries could be improved. They are far from perfect as is.  I am also quite aware of the multiplier effect that makes hatcheries attractive. FWIW I had partial responsibility for managing a hatchery for about 10 years, so i have some direct experience. BTW many commercial and sport fisheries are wild fisheries. A prime example is the Adams lake sockeye run.

Cheers

It seems odd that the this story espouses the benefits of the sockeye hatchery , which was being  re introduced into Osoyoos Lake .
But foreshadows the story saying that every other hatchery is outdated and is only harming the wild stocks .
Seems a pretty clear double standard .
 Hatcheries all provide volume to the salmon stocks , without them they would be no fishery , commercial or recreational .
 Broodstock are supplied in each river that the salmon returns to and because of the large number of eggs in each salmon , it only takes 20-25 pairs of salmon to provide a hatchery with between 45,000 to 60,000 eggs . Plenty for the needs of the hatchery .
As for the interbreeding , this would happen naturally in the river .
In fact some rivers the number of returning wild salmon out number the hatchery ones 4 to 1 ..

[salmonrook]

Its a huge win for the Okanagan to have sockeye back to their traditional areas in Osoyoos Lake , the Oxbows .
I know they created a fishery in the lake that has not been there for years, both recreational and ceremonial
 I know they also did some enhancements in the Canal between Skaha and Okanagan lake for salmon rearing .
Its a win for all .
 Just have issue with the current sentiment that all other hatcheries are outdated and dont provide any benefit .
Seems to be a theme rising as of late
Why does this statement have to be made ? The author could just espouse the benefits of the new hatchery without the negativity
Talking about the authors comments about them  , the foreshadowing term was used in place of the word prefacing ....
 Not at all questionaing the motives or the data in the report ...
   

[RalphH]

I don't think there ever was a fishery for sockeye in Osyoos Lake before the current resurgence in fish populations. After all it was illegal to even fish for them in non-tidal water prior to 1993. The hatchery operation is only part of the sockeye reccovery which also included in stream improvements and increased water flows during migration periods. Some of the goals for the Okanagan include returning runs of chinook and steelhead to the valley. They are up to much more than just propagating sockeye for harvest. Check out their website:

https://www.syilx.org/fisheries/

Hatcheries are just a tool - useful for some circumstances but not the best or even suited to others. In BC they don't even contribute the largest portion of the release of artificially enhanced fish, far from it. Large spawning channel operations do that.

There is a lot of literature and information on the shortfalls of hatcheries. If you familiarized yourself with some of that you wouldn't ask questions like you have & perhaps have a broader perspective. 

[salmonrook]

The commercial fishery by the ONA I believe is  new  as is the recreational opening
But more to the point the ceremonial fishery that  has been around , as mentioned on the website , for many years dating back before the construction of the Columbia river Dam .
It also mentions that the Okanagan River is the only other river feeding the Columbia that supports a traditional sockeye run .
The other mentioned is from Lake Wenatchee further east
Very informative website .
As for the opinion on hatcheries, I think they are needed resource and DO have a huge impact on populations that are present and contribute to successful commercial and recreational  fisheries .
Without them I believe the wild populations would have collapsed, much like the east coast cod

[RalphH]

Atlantic cod is not an apt comparison. It's an example of how we are changing the oceans and the population dynamics of such fish stocks. The same thing may be happening with salmon. hatcheries cannot fix that if it is.

Of course I never said we should do away with salmon or steelhead hatcheries. However it needs to be acknowledge they are not a replacement for healthy wild fish populations. Rather in a number of ways,they are notably inferior to to wild native fish. Most anglers recognize this whenever they catch one. They are useful for supplementing wild stocks or providing a simulacrum of wild fish populations. Habitat is much more important and there is still lots and lots of good stream habitat for wild fish. As a sole provider of salmon hatcheries are only suited to situations were much of the habitat has been lost and can't be restored to support a decent wild population. Locally the Capilano and Stave both represent such a situation. Conversely many small streams damaged by development or poor management get no hatchery supplement illustrating another limitation of that approach. It's expensive & results don't often justify the costs!  Other streams with substantial hatchery input are not about supporting a usable wild fish population but about supporting people's desirable for a super abundant resource (the classic 'addiction') that never historically existed and supporting the business and industrialized social uses that now exist on those rivers.

[salmonrook]

While I agree that the hatcheries do provide a good boost to fish populations , my case is  that without sufficient hatchery production that the resource would not be there to suppliment any fishery at all .This resource would not exist in sufficient numbers to support a fishery yet suppliment populations at sea .
 Many of the hatcheries are volunteer run and are self sustaining with the advice of DFO.
Without them the  local populations would not exist in the present local rivers of the lower mainland .
As far as wild populations , I know for a fact that these populations remain healthy on these hatchery supplemented rivers to a ratio of 4 to 1
This is evident from the number of returning fish which are enumerated thru the fish fence each year

[RalphH]

my case is  that without sufficient hatchery production that the resource would not be there to suppliment any fishery at all .This resource would not exist in sufficient numbers to support a fishery yet suppliment populations at sea .

There are far too many self sustaining wild salmon populations to say this is true. It's really only as one move south of the US border that hatchery stocks equal or exceed wild stocks.  You keep talking like all salmon population rely on hatcheries yet this is clearly false! There are also a number of examples where hatcheries have been unable to achieve what you claim they do. For example they can't compensate for in stream migration moralities (ie the Columbia) or compensate for unfavorable ocean conditions. What's worse evidence indicates that hatchery reared salmon are less able to cope with such unfavorable conditions.


BTW I think the community hatchery model is a better one than the massive DFO fish factories. Community hatcheries contribute more to smaller streams that the DFO model ignores. They also compliment wild fish populations rather than overwhelming them. Also helps to spread out the angling pressure.

Also I greatly appreciate the work people such as yourself do and the contribution you make to operate community hatcheries. Thank you!

[salmonrook]

Havent done much study on the hatcheries south of the border other than the Elwha river dam removal .
 My comments are based on hatcheries in the lower mainland , Nicomekl, Serp, and  of course the Little campbell .
While these river fisheries dont compare to the Chilliwack , there contributions of around 250,000 to 300,000 certainly have a hand in maintaining these wild populations .
I agree the community hatchery is a good model because it allows for the members to focus on a single river and the nuances that need to be cultured for success .
Enjoy the work at the hatchery, helping the environment succeed
Thanks