100 



point to that have not worked. In most Instances, it Is very popular and therefore 

 easy, to make and release fish, but to correct the mechanism that made the natural 

 populations decline in the first place can be exceedingly difficult. 



I can give you several examples from Alaska that have fit the definition of 

 supplementation and have worked; 



• Upper Thumb River (Karluk Lake) sockeye salmon, Kodiak (completed) 



• Farragut River Chinook salmon, Southeast (ongoing) 



• Chilkat River Chinook salmon, Southeast (ongoing) 



To date, we have had no experience at rehabilitating salmon stocks on big rivers 

 analogous to the Columbia. But we are about to get our feet wet on the Yukon River: 



• Toklat River chum salmon (ongoing) 



• Chena River Arctic grayling (ongoing) 



Also important is our successful experience in establisWng self-sustaining runs in 

 previously fishless habitats: 



• Frazer River sockeye and Chinook salmon (completed) 



Other examples can be cited, but I must add that, despite our successes, Alaska does 

 not consider hatcheries as a substitute for careful management. In fact, tlie Alaska 

 Legislature mandated that fish stocks shall be managed consistent with sustained 

 yield of wild fish stocks. 



Question 3. Is [Alaska's] hatchery system presently able to perform the tasks necessary for 

 the survival and restoration of naturally spawning fish populations? If not, what 

 changes are necejssary? 



Hatcheries have various purposes: one being wild stock supplementation or 

 restoration, the other being enhancement. Hatcheries (or various artificial propagation 

 techniques) arc a functional tool for restoring naturally spawning fish populations, but 

 strict guidelines governing diis use should be established prior to the implementation 

 of any restoration project. 



Ecosystem recovery must be based on a holistic approach. Overfishing, loss of 

 spawning and rearing habitat, prolonged competition from introduced species or 

 hatchery-produced fish of the same species, and barriers to migration are common 

 problems leading to tlie decline or loss of naturally spawning fish populations. 

 Fortunately, these occurrences are relatively rare in Alaska; unfortunately, they are 

 common in the Pacific Northwest. The first step in the restoration process involves 

 identification and correction of causes leading to the decline or loss of a naturally 

 spawning fish population. As I have stated before, there is no point in initiating a 

 restoration project if these causes persist. 



