A Review of the Ecological Risks of Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery Programs and Some Management Strategies That Can Alleviate the Risks

State and federal agencies in the Pacific Northwest annually release millions of hatchery salmon and steelhead into public waters.  These hatchery programs can pose genetic and ecological risks to wild fish populations.  Ecological risks occur when the presence of hatchery fish affects how wild fish interact with their environment or with other species and may affect whole species assemblages.  Factors that contribute to ecological risks include the relative abundance of hatchery and wild fish in natural production areas, hatchery programs that increase density-dependent mortality, residual hatchery fish, some physical advantages that hatchery fish can have over wild fish, and life history characteristics that may make some species especially vulnerable to the effects of ecological risks.  Many of these risk factors can be decreased by management strategies that reduce the level of interactions between hatchery and wild fish. This presentation will discuss some of the strategies and guiding principles for reducing the ecological risk of hatchery programs with some specific examples from Oregon and Washington.