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Salmon Hatcheries
Salmon hatcheries have been operating on the West Coast since the late 1800s. Originally, the hatcheries were used only to enhance the numbers of wild salmon. Today, hatcheries are also used to supply salmon farms. There have been concerns about salmon hatcheries, including the high cost of operation, low ocean survival of salmon and the flooding of wild salmon grounds with hatchery-raised salmon. Today, however, the focus has shifted toward conserving enhancing wild stocks with fish from smaller hatcheries. Small in-stream hatcheries or hatchery boxes have also been developed where egg incubation units are placed in the stream gravel. Hatcheries can increase the number of fish going to the ocean by artificially spawning and raising fry until they reach the smolt stage. With a better chance of survival at this stage, they are then released into the ocean. |
