Number: 2005-13
Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery Management and Impacts on Wild Stocks WHEREAS, wild Pacific salmon and steelhead species have evolved and adapted to their native habitats through the millennia; and
WHEREAS, these species have life histories and behaviors that are unique and their genetic makeup is irreplaceable; and
WHEREAS, the human-induced degradation of salmon and steelhead habitat has resulted in the extinction of many wild stocks and has dramatically reduced the remaining wild populations of salmon and steelhead throughout their range in the lower 48 states of the U.S. and British Columbia; and
WHEREAS, to compensate for the loss of wild populations and their habitat, hatchery programs have been developed to supplement sport, commercial and tribal harvest; and
WHEREAS, in the absence of wild fish recovery, harvest is largely dependent on hatchery supplementation; and
WHEREAS, it is important to maintain supplementation for harvest through the use of hatchery production in places where recovery of wild fish cannot be achieved or is not likely to occur in the short term; and
WHEREAS, in certain cases, hatchery fish pose serious threats to the existence of wild salmonids or present obstacles to the recovery of wild fisheries; and
WHEREAS, the performance of many hatchery programs is dependent on supplementation of wild fish into the hatchery stock; and
WHEREAS, hatchery fish are not adequate replacements for wild, self-sustaining populations of salmon and steelhead;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled April 1-2, 2005, in Washington, D.C., hereby supports the reformation of hatchery programs so that the potentially harmful impacts on wild populations are minimized and do not impede the recovery of evolutionarily significant stocks; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, and any other federal or state agency with oversight responsibilities, to base decisions and policies with regard to the protection and recovery of wild salmon and steelhead on genetics, life history, behavior, and evolutionary significance using the best available science; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges NOAA Fisheries and any other federal or state agency with oversight responsibilities, to protect wild stocks from threats posed by hatcheries and to take the necessary steps to fully recover threatened, endangered, and depressed populations of wild salmon and steelhead to self-sustaining, harvestable populations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls on NOAA Fisheries and any other federal or state agency with oversight responsibilities, to utilize the best available science and incorporate independent scientific review in making decisions regarding hatchery operations and to work collaboratively with all other agencies, tribal governments, and other interests to reduce the reliance on hatchery production and promote the recovery of wild stocks to self-sustaining, harvestable populations.