coast, and increasing numbers of applications are being filed. Alaska 

 is currently considering similar legislation. 



The development of saltwater rearing technology has opened the 

 way to two significantly different approaches to salmon farming: 

 f eedlot rearing, where fish are reared under controlled conditions for 

 marketing at a size of 1/2 to 1 pound, and open-range ranching, which 

 involves release of hatchery-reared fish for pasturing in the sea after 

 a brief acclimation and growth in saltwater. Open-range ranching 

 will produce full-sized, adult salmon returning to predetermined 

 homing sites and can be expected to produce benefits to private 

 entrepreneurs and new tools for State management agencies seeking 

 to improve both sport and commercial fisheries. 



Current salmon aquaculture includes field diagnosis and treat- 

 ment of saltwater salmonid diseases, rearing system development 

 and evaluation, stock development and breeding, evaluation and 

 administration of experimental feeds, and gravel incubator hatchery 

 development (an inexpensive means of producing fry with a survival 

 at least five times that of natural production and with greater fitness 

 than fry from conventional hatcheries). 



Public aquaculture (hatchery systems) is used to increase salmon 

 and other fish stocks. The Columbia River Fishery Development 

 Program was born because of high fish losses suffered in the 



Salmon hatchery operations include the collection of salmon eggsfrom adults 

 resdy to spawn. Over half of the Columbia River salmon caught by commercial 

 and recreational fisheries are reared in hatcheries. 



47 



