Fishing in British Columbia > Fishing-related Issues & News
Why Okanagan salmon hatcheries are more successful than their counterparts
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:
--- Quote ---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 .
--- End quote ---
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
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