Conservation and Consumption: Nez Perce Tribe Duty and Obligation

As salmon populations continued to decline, hatcheries that were constructed to mitigate for impacts of human development (dam construction and habitat destruction) and provide fish for harvest have evolved to meet both conservation and consumption objectives. Tribes, in conjunction with co-managers, have implementing sliding scales that balance hatchery and harvest actions relative to adult return sizes.  Under these sliding scales, hatchery fish contribution to natural production is increased at low natural returns levels and decreased as natural run size increases.  Likewise, harvest rates (including natural retention) are adjusted relative to natural run size.  With the reality of continued human impacts to “natural” ecosystems and ongoing hatchery production to mitigate those impacts, is it possible to move beyond the conservation and consumption balance toward recovery?  We believe the restoration of natural-origin Snake River fall Chinook to a 10 year geometric mean abundance of over 8,000 demonstrates that there is hope. The Tribe’s expectations remain fixed on achieving generationally sustainable broad sense recovery, in a manner that achieves conservation and consumption.   However, the existence of divergent expectations and legal mandates begs the question “how good is good enough”?  The answer relies on input from science, policy, and legal perspectives.