HATCHERY PROPAGATION OF PACIFIC SALMON 

 Early History and Objectives 



The modern program of aitificial 

 or hatchery propagation of Pacific 

 sahnon had its beginning at the 

 Baird Station (California), on a 

 tributary of the upper Sacramento 

 River (Stone 1878). This egg- 

 taking station was established by 

 the United States Commission of 

 Fish and Fisheries (now the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service) for the pur- 

 pose of collecting eggs of the 

 chinook or cjuinnat salmon for ship- 

 ment to foreign waters. Additional 

 egg-taking stations were later estab- 

 lished in Oregon and Washington. 



As the salmon fishery expanded 

 and became more efficient, exploita- 

 tion reduced the runs of salmon to 

 dangerous lows. In many places 

 fishing became unprofitable, al- 

 though the production potential of 

 the spawning areas of the streams 

 remained constant. Attempts were 

 made to maintain the runs of 

 salmon or to restore them to former 

 levels of abundance through hatch- 

 ery propagation. Salmon hatch- 

 eries were established for the 

 purpose of taking and incubating 

 eggs and releasing the resulting 

 small fish or fry. 



Salmon hatcheries are now recog- 

 nized as tools to assist in the man- 

 agement of fisheries. The product 

 of the hatchery, regardless of size 

 of the fingerlings, is not considered 

 an end in itself. There is a definite 

 need for the hatchery output of 

 young salmon to counteract the in- 

 crease of human population, the 

 resulting industrial devel()])ment, 

 and the intensified fishing. 



In the early years of commercial 

 fishing for salmon, the fish had free 

 access to their original spawning 

 areas in the hundreds of coastal 

 rivers. The advance of civilization 

 gradually limited the areas avail- 

 able for spawning. The modern 

 salmon hatchery is in existence to 

 counteract so far as possible the 

 harmful influences of man. Major 

 dependence for maintenance of the 

 salmon runs must remain with nat- 

 ural reproduction. The primary 

 purpose of the hatcheries is to pro- 

 vide stock with which to restore or 

 develop runs, althouoh the hatch- 

 ery-reared sahnon contribute to a 

 considerable degree directly to the 

 catch. The maintenance of a fish- 

 ery, however, must depend largely 

 ui)on regulations and the removal 

 of blocks to migration, including 

 pollution, in order that salmon may 

 ascend to spawning areas. Stream 

 and lake areas must be available for 

 tlie early rearing of the salmon. 



In the 1930's it was realized that, 

 in order to assure adequate return 

 for the fishery and for spawning, 

 some species of salmon must be 

 reared to large size before their re- 

 lease. This continues to be the gen- 

 eral hatchery practice. 



Circumstances Requiring 

 Hatchery Propagation 



Probably the best example of the 

 harmful effects of man's progress 

 upon anadromous fish is in the Co- 

 lumbia River Basin. It has been 

 established that at least half of the 

 original si)awniiig and ivaring area 

 of tlie Columbia Rivei- watershed 

 lias b(HMi ma(U' unsuilable or inac- 



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