Hatchery vs. wild salmon and steelhead fisheries management is a lightning-rod issue for anglers and the science community alike. On January 22-23, in Portland, the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is hosting a public symposium on the topic, focusing on research, management, and potential reform.
Four sessions will include: Hatchery Fish Performance and Genetics, Influence of Hatchery Fish on Wild Populations, Managing Reality: Co-Existing Wild and Hatchery Populations, and Hatchery Reform: Where Do We Go From Here?
“One of the most controversial and hot topics in fisheries biology today is the interaction between hatchery and wild salmon and steelhead,” say the sponsors. “To address and better understand these interactions, fisheries managers and researchers are reevaluating how hatchery programs are managed and if these programs may be contributing to the decline in wild populations. However, hatcheries across the Pacific Northwest continue to play a vital role in producing fish that support recreational, commercial, and tribal harvest and are used to mitigate anthropogenic impacts to fish populations.”
The event will be held at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower. Registration has recently been extended.
Tom Bie is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Drake. He started the magazine in 1998 as an annual newsprint publication based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He then moved it to Steamboat, Colorado (1999), Boulder, Colorado (2001), and San Clemente, California (2004), as he took jobs as managing editor at Paddler, Senior Editor at Skiing, and Editor-in-Chief at Powder, respectively. Tom and The Drake are now both based in Denver, Colorado, where The Drake is finally all grows up(Swingers, 1996) to a quarterly magazine.