From the Executive Summary:
"Hatcheries have long played a necessary role in meeting harvest and conservation goals for Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead. However, a need to reform the hatchery system has been identified by scientists and policymakers based on growing concerns about the potential effects of artificial
propagation on the viability of salmon and steelhead in their natural habitats.
The US Congress established the Hatchery Reform Project in 2000 as part of a comprehensive effort to conserve indigenous salmonid populations, assist with the recovery of naturally spawning populations, provide sustainable fisheries, and improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of hatchery programs. The
Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG) was charged with reviewing all state, tribal, and federal hatchery programs in Puget Sound and Coastal Washington. The review used an ecosystem-based approach founded on two central premises: that harvest goals are sustainable only if they are compatible with conservation goals, and that artificially propagated fish affect the fitness and
productivity of natural populations with which they interact. The intent of the project is for science to direct the process of reform. Reforms should ensure that the hatchery system matches current circumstances and management goals.
Since 2000, the HSRG–an independent scientific review panel–has carried out its mission of incorporating the most up-to-date science into hatchery management, with financial support from state and federal sources.
The purposes of this report are to:
• Provide an updated perspective on the role of hatcheries in salmon and steelhead management in the Pacific Northwest.
• Evaluate the impact of the HSRG’s work on hatchery management in the Pacific Northwest.
• Review new information and consider whether the HSRG’s principles, broad recommendations, and analytical framework are still consistent with the best available science.
Hundreds of hatchery facilities in the Pacific Northwest are operated by federal, state, tribal, and local governments. Some of these hatcheries have been operating for more than 100 years. Most were built to produce fish for harvest when wild populations declined from habitat loss, overfishing, and the
construction of hydroelectric dams. Hatcheries have generally been successful at producing fish for harvest. However, the traditional mitigation policy of replacing wild populations with hatchery fish is not consistent with today’s conservation goals, environmental values, and scientific theories. Hatcheries
cannot replace lost habitat and the natural populations that rely on it. It is now clear that the widespread use of traditional hatchery programs has actually contributed to the overall decline of wild populations. The historical use of artificial propagation for harvest mitigation has frustrated the successful integration of management directives and created regional economic inefficiencies."
Full report:
http://www.hatcheryreform.us/hrp/rep...me_show.action
"Hatcheries have long played a necessary role in meeting harvest and conservation goals for Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead. However, a need to reform the hatchery system has been identified by scientists and policymakers based on growing concerns about the potential effects of artificial
propagation on the viability of salmon and steelhead in their natural habitats.
The US Congress established the Hatchery Reform Project in 2000 as part of a comprehensive effort to conserve indigenous salmonid populations, assist with the recovery of naturally spawning populations, provide sustainable fisheries, and improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of hatchery programs. The
Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG) was charged with reviewing all state, tribal, and federal hatchery programs in Puget Sound and Coastal Washington. The review used an ecosystem-based approach founded on two central premises: that harvest goals are sustainable only if they are compatible with conservation goals, and that artificially propagated fish affect the fitness and
productivity of natural populations with which they interact. The intent of the project is for science to direct the process of reform. Reforms should ensure that the hatchery system matches current circumstances and management goals.
Since 2000, the HSRG–an independent scientific review panel–has carried out its mission of incorporating the most up-to-date science into hatchery management, with financial support from state and federal sources.
The purposes of this report are to:
• Provide an updated perspective on the role of hatcheries in salmon and steelhead management in the Pacific Northwest.
• Evaluate the impact of the HSRG’s work on hatchery management in the Pacific Northwest.
• Review new information and consider whether the HSRG’s principles, broad recommendations, and analytical framework are still consistent with the best available science.
Hundreds of hatchery facilities in the Pacific Northwest are operated by federal, state, tribal, and local governments. Some of these hatcheries have been operating for more than 100 years. Most were built to produce fish for harvest when wild populations declined from habitat loss, overfishing, and the
construction of hydroelectric dams. Hatcheries have generally been successful at producing fish for harvest. However, the traditional mitigation policy of replacing wild populations with hatchery fish is not consistent with today’s conservation goals, environmental values, and scientific theories. Hatcheries
cannot replace lost habitat and the natural populations that rely on it. It is now clear that the widespread use of traditional hatchery programs has actually contributed to the overall decline of wild populations. The historical use of artificial propagation for harvest mitigation has frustrated the successful integration of management directives and created regional economic inefficiencies."
Full report:
http://www.hatcheryreform.us/hrp/rep...me_show.action
