The WDFW Fish Science staff has published one of the documents they have been preparing as part of the ongoing review of the Fish and Wildlife Commission's Hatchery and Fishery Reform Policy. Here are a few take away conclusions from the report:

Overarching themes:

Hatchery reform is but one of several factors requiring careful planning and aggressive implementation needed to achieve meaningful recovery of salmon populations.

Hatchery reform is largely aimed at reducing risk in a relative but not absolute sense.

In WDFW’s hatchery system, a focus on efficiency and maximizing abundance prevents widespread implementation of risk reduction measures.

Conclusions Specific to HSRG Recommendations

The principles of reducing pHOS and increasing pNOB to achieve fitness gains in wild populations are well-founded, and should be fundamental goals in any hatchery reform management action.

Program size requires more careful scrutiny and scientific justification because it affects virtually every aspect of hatchery risks.

The HSRG’s phased approach to recovery has strong conceptual merit, but its implementation has resulted in an absence of stricter, conservation oriented PNI goals for many populations.

We recommend crafting a stand-alone monitoring and adaptive management plan for each hatchery program that quantifies both benefits and risks, and explicitly links hatchery performance metrics to potential operational changes.


WDFW Fish Science review