Program on the Environment

Over the past half-century, fish hatcheries have been heavily utilized as both a response to declining wild stock and increased public demand for seafood. Recently, however, studies have been published reevaluating the efficacy of hatchery-release programs and the actual benefit that they provide to wild ecosystems. Hatchery fishes are often the product of inbreeding and are raised in cramped pens where disease runs rampant, making their eventual release into the wild potentially problematic. The logic of hatchery-release programs meant to augment wild stock relies on a single notion; hatchery fish, once released, must act in the same manner as wild fish. The purpose of this study was to analyze the difference in spawning timing between male and female wild chum salmon and evaluate whether hatchery fish also engage in these same patterns. In my research, I relied on field observations, data on hatchery returns provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and game, and several peer-reviewed journals. Findings show that, in both wild and hatchery chum salmon, male chum salmon tended to enter spawning streams throughout the season, while females did so primarily in the middle third. Hatchery chum salmon, however, tend to enter their spawning streams a few days earlier than wild fish do for both males and females. This puts hatchery chum salmon at a distinct reproductive advantage over wild chum salmon as they have more time to find and compete for spawning territory.