Ecological interactions between wild and hatchery salmonids: an introduction to the special issue

The optimism of early salmon hatchery practitioners toincrease abundance (Lichatowich 1999) has been tem-pered in recent decades by theoretical and empiricalstudiesindicatingunintendednegativeeffectshatcheriescanhaveonwildPacificsalmonandsteelhead(Naishetal. 2008; Pearsons and Temple 2010). Unintendedeffects of hatcheries are much more difficult and costlyto assess than evaluating the benefits of hatchery pro-duction to provide harvest opportunities. Holisticallyevaluating the relative costs and benefits of past andcurrent hatchery practices requires an understanding andestimation of the unintended effects (Pearsons 2010). Inrecent years, national and local governments, indigenous(e.g. First Nations or tribal) resource agencies, privateindustry and NGO conservation groups have begunefforts to reform public salmon and steelhead hatcherysystems in North America, which include critically eval-uating societal and biological risks and benefits.A significant number of national and internationalpolicy concernsandactions aredirectlyrelevantto thisissue. In the US Pacific Northwest, for example, theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) is currently evaluating the environmentalimpact of salmon and steelhead hatcheries throughfederal mandates such as the Endangered Species Actand the Mitchell Act. The US State of Alaska is facedwith ongoing challenges of adhering to the State’sfisheries policies regarding sustainability, geneticsand escapement goals in the face of a growing privatesalmon hatchery industry in the State. In Canada, theDepartment of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is in theprocessofimplementinganambitiousnewWildSalmonPolicythatmustaddressimpactshatcherieshaveonwildsalmon. There is fresh thinking and emerging newinitiativesinbothJapanandRussiatoidentifyandseparately manage wild salmon in these nations.The growing demand for sustainable seafood hasput the global spotlight on salmon, which is near thetop of the list of most desired seafood, buoyed byreports of health benefits of eating salmon. Third partysustainability certifications of wild capture fisheries isrequired in many global markets, and Pacific salmon