Submitter: Ann Vansnick

Community: Sayward

Date Submitted: October 15, 2023

Summary:

DFO harvest management should be investigated in the context of the annual release of billions of hatchery salmon into the Pacific Northwest. According to a new study in Marine Coastal Fisheries, the combined abundance of wild and hatchery fish leads to overharvesting of the wild stock.

Submission:

DFO Harvest management should be investigated in context to the production of hatchery salmon. Over 5 billion juvenile salmon are released from hatcheries, mainly in Japan and Alaska, on a yearly basis into the Pacific Northwest according to a new study published in the October issue of Marine Coastal Fisheries. The report, Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science warns ” the combined abundance of wild and hatchery fish encourages fisheries managers to allow a higher harvest rate, and since the fishery is non-selective — wild and hatchery fish are both harvested at a higher rate — that leads to overharvesting of the wild stock”.