Perspectives on Salmon Enhancement and Hatcheries: What the Council Heard

This report summarizes what the Council heard during public meetings, one-on-one meetings with stakeholders and via written submissions related to the subject of salmon hatcheries. British Columbians believe that salmon hatcheries and enhancement activities are needed to protect wild salmon stocks. Many also believe that negative impacts of enhancement on wild salmon have either been fixed or are wrong, misguided or irrelevant and that, given habitat loss and excessive fishing, enhancement is the only thing actually working to protect wild salmon. Others are concerned hatcheries can create negative impacts and that enhancement needs to be done right and curtailed once problems with local wild salmon stocks are resolved.