The Chronicle's April 4 commentary by Ed Johnstone titled “Hatchery Salmon Hold the Ecosystem Together” makes a persuasive argument for the importance of an extensive hatchery system to keep many salmon runs from going extinct and to comply with treaty tribes’ fishing rights.
But I wish the article had also acknowledged the critical need to make changes in hatchery practices to produce larger, stronger and genetically healthier salmon. Until changes are implemented by the hatcheries to produce larger, more resilient salmon, we should anticipate a continuation of the anti-hatchery, “frivolous lawsuits” the article condemns.
Today, we continue to operate hatcheries that are 40 to 100 years old with antiquated facilities that fail to simulate the natural conditions necessary for producing healthy, young salmon. Scientists tell us how to build proper facilities and reform outdated hatchery practices to produce genetically strong hatchery fish that would enhance rather than weaken wild salmon.
Nevertheless, we continue to largely ignore science. Instead, we overload the salmon ecosystem with weak hatchery fish that are unable to complete their life cycle and might slow the population growth of wild salmon.
As a lifelong sport salmon fisherman, I’ve grown weary of catching salmon that weigh only a fraction of those I caught 60 years ago, and that make only a couple of weak, half-hearted runs when hooked before being brought placidly to my landing net.
For me, “39 million salmon from (hatcheries)” do not address the salmon problem. We must do the hard work of reforming hatchery practices and redesigning hatchery facilities to produce large, healthy, strong salmon.
I wonder whether the treaty tribes would be satisfied with larger runs of today’s 10-pound, rather than historically normal 25-pound Chinook salmon? I know that I would not be satisfied and I don’t think the southern resident Orcas would be either.
Darryl Wareham
Aberdeen
