27 



plementation does not work. I would be very careful about conclud- 

 ing that. However, careful planning, well-defined policies, and ex- 

 cellent science only reduce risk. Mistakes will be made and direc- 

 tions redefined. That is the very process that brings success. 



The sockeye salmon hatchery program in Alaska is a good exam- 

 ple. Hatcheries were used as early as the 1890's in Alaska to miti- 

 gate the loss of adult harvests due to overfishing by localized can- 

 nery operators. They were largely unsuccessful, and the canneries 

 are no longer. In the 1940's and '50's, the Canadians experimented 

 with sockeye culture and this too failed. Why? There were several 

 factors. Overtaxing the food production in nursery lakes with 

 hatchery fish was one but disease was another. A virulent virus 

 known by the acronym IHN was the blame for the death of both 

 the fish and the Csinadian program. 



Alaska re-entered the sockeye culture business in the 1970's with 

 modern facilities and new equipment and good scientists. This 

 early program suffered crippling losses to fish. The culture proto- 

 cols were re-evaluated, and procedures were rapidly changed to 

 "farm around" the disease. At reference to best management prac- 

 tices for hatcheries. This was a radical approach, but it paid off. 

 Now Alaska is the world's largest and most successful sockeye 

 hatchery program in the world. Had we followed conventional 

 wisdom, this sockeye culture technology would not be available 

 today. It can now be used to help in the supplemental of popula- 

 tions of sockeye in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you for the oppor- 

 tunity to be here today. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Koenings can be found at the 

 end of the hearing.] 



Mrs. Unsoeld. Mr. Sayre. 



STATEMENT OF JOHN SAYRE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, "LONG 

 LIVE THE KINGS," WOODINVILLE, WASHINGTON 



Mr. Sayre. Thank you. Madam Chairman, and members of the 

 committee. I am John Sayre, Executive Director of Long Live the 

 Kings which is a private nonprofit corporation whose goal is the 

 restoration of wild salmon runs in specific rivers in the Northwest, 

 the enhancement of their habitat, and, equally important, the re- 

 building of viable salmon economies that will support commercial, 

 tribal, and recreational fisheries to the level of hopefully hundreds 

 of millions of dollars generated in the Northwest economy each 

 year and hundreds of thousands of visitors attracted to our area be- 

 cause of the salmon. Only 15 years ago, we had that situation. We 

 don't have it right now. 



Long Live the Kings is largely supported by private foundations, 

 corporations, and individuals. In the last seven years, we have put 

 about $2.5 million into private salmon enhancement efforts. And 

 while we believe as the two previous speakers just said that wild 

 spawning fish are best, they know how to do it all by themselves, 

 they don't need human help, and they don't cost the taxpayers a 

 dime, we have dozens, if not hundreds of salmon runs that need 

 human help to probably recover. 



Long Live the Kings has three specific projects that address 

 where hatcheries could be used and where human help can inter- 



