Fisheries Enhancement and Conservation in the PNW

Hatcheries now produce most Pacific Northwest salmon. We look at hatchery effects on natural salmon populations. We determine the effectiveness of hatcheries in rescuing, rebuilding, and maintaining genetic diversity in some of the nation’s most depleted salmon stocks, including the Redfish Lake sockeye salmon.

We apply behavioral and ecological assessments to understand how hatcheries:

Alter salmon development.
Contribute to domestication selection and fitness loss.
Influence ecological interactions with wild salmon during freshwater and marine migrations and on the spawning grounds.
Affect ESA recovery efforts…

Read more at NOAA.org