SPILYAY TYMOO
JUNE 22, 1982 PAGE 11
Salmon reared, ranch-style
by Marsha Shewczyk
To the Indian, salmon is not
only food but is traditionally a
part of this culture. The salmon
swimming upstream is a gift. In
the past it was only after
ceremonies were complete that
the Indian fisherman could
pursue the salmon.
But salmon, as a basic source
of sustenance, is becoming
more and more important as
time goes on. Fishing the river
as the early Sahaptin people
did continues but without
thought for ceremony. Fishing
has become a competitive
business. The number of
salmon has diminished due to
dams, fluctuating water levels,
heat arid chemical pollution,
and sport and commercial
fishermen.
Too, the salm on must
survive two to three years in the
Pacific Ocean foraging for food
a m o n g st p r e d a to r s an d
fishermen. Approximately one
percent of the' salmon survive
to return to the river.’
H a tc h e rie s h ave been
constructed by state and
federal agencies in an effort to
increase the number of salmon
returning to spawn in order to
meet the demands. But this
. does not seem to be enough.
^Fisherm en are looking to
increase their catch.
Salmon have come to be
looked upon as a resource, a
controllable resource. An
in creased p ro d u c tio n of
salmon would be profitable,
especially to private hatchery
owners.
With the salmon’s natural
instinct to return to its rearing
site it wouldn’t be difficult to
make a profit and at the same
time increase the number of
salmon in ocean waters for
p u b lic use ac c o rd in g to
supporters of privately owned
hatcheries located on the coast.
This system of releasing
salmon at ocean hatcheries,
having them return to complete
their natural cycle, has come to
be known as salmon ranching.
Salmon ranchers operate
their own hatcheries with their
own funds. They rear the
salmon in ponds and then
release them into the sea. The
ranchers then catch the adult
fish in traps once homing
instincts bring them back to the
hatchery to spawn. Private
hatcheries have been permitted
only on the coast, not upriver.
These aquaculture facilities
subtract the river frorn the
salmon’s life cycle. At these
plants the fish are reared tof the.
smolt state, ■ *grbtviftg 'a t a r i
accelerated rate through the
use of warm w ater and
intensified nutrition.
But because of competition
for food in the ocean, predators
and sports and commercial
fisherm en, less than one
percent return to their place of
origin. One aquaculture plant
at Newport reports a .5%
return last year, much below
anticipated.
A q u a c u ltu re hopes to
improve nature’s efficiency in
the production of salmon. But
the existence of these ranches
produces fear in the hearts of
some.
With large companies such
as Weyerhauser and Gamp-
bell’s Soup Company owning
these million-dollar facilities
coastal fishermen feel these
companies will soon control
the fishing industry. Some of
the- fears run along the lines
that ranchers will be able to
produce salmon at a low cost
and reduce the price to the
point where fishermen can’t
make a profit.
This type o f enterprise “is
a positive contribution”
Ocean fishermen also fear
that these companies will drive
the fisherman out of business
by m a n ip u la tin g fish in g
s e a s o n s a n d th e f is h
themselves.
p e rm its to ,12 d iffe re n t
companies have been issued to
date. A permit is required for
each species of salmon reared
“ a ll p r iv a te sa lm o n
p rop ogation program s
s h a ll be c a r e fu lly
m onitored..
for release, that is, pink, coho
and chum. Chinook have not
been allowed to be reared at
these hatcheries. The permit
allows the ranch to release 180
million salmon annually.
The
eggs used
h a t c h e r ie s
at these
r e q u ir e
s ta te
1985. During this five year
moratorium environmentalists
have the o p p o rtu n ity to
observe the impact of these
hatcheries on wild fish and the
ocean.
In allowing saltnon ranching
to exist apd issuing permits to
these companies, the Oregon
D epartm ent of Fish and
Wildlife has made a policy
statem ent regarding these
aquaculture facilities: It is the
policy of the Oregon Fish and
W ildlife Com m ission th a t
private salmon release and
recapture facilities...shall be
sited in close proximity to the
ocean and utilize stocks of fish
that are disease free and
genetically compatiable with
native stocks of salmon, and
shall be limited in size to the
capabilities of the permittees
and/ or the subject govern
ment. . ..and that all private
salmon propogation programs
shall be carefully monitored to
determine the economic and
biologic feasibility of existing
operation and the opportunity
o f e x p a n s io n o f su c h
programs.”
those in both groups that favor
the existence of aquaculture
plants.
According to Jim Lannan at
the Oregon State University
Marine Science Center at
Newport, Oregon, the greatest
fear towards salmon ranches is
expressed by those who fear big
business will regulate the
.fishing industry and its laws.
Many conditions are placed
on the ' permittees in the
establishment of aquaculture
plants. The Oregon State
Legislature passed the Private
Hatchery Act amidst the
concern that ocean ranching
might adversely affect other
stocks of fish and traditional
commercial and recreational
salmon fisheries. As is stated in
a published release by ODFW,
the law says, “the young
salmon must be examined for
disease by an ap p ro v e d
pathologist” prior to release.
The law goes on to state, “if the
department finds that a private
operation, within the waters
covered by its permit, has
caused deterioration of the
natural run of anadromous fish
or any population of resident
The ODFW states in their
r e g u la tio n s fo r sa lm o n
ranching: the ranches “enhance
the production of salmon for
utilization by public recrea
tional and commençai fisheries
and/or increase the supply of
w holesom e fish p ro d u c ts
available to consumers.”
approval after inspection.
Ideally, the eggs come from thè
surplus at state hatcheries. But
because of limited supplies
some eggs have been imported.
Chum eggs have been imported
from the Soviet Union while
some pink eggs have been
brought into Oregon coastal
hatcheries from Washington.
Biologists express some fear
at importing eggs with the game fish, it may require the
spread of disease in mind. They operator to return the fish
also have some concern that the p o p u la tio n to the sam e
capacity of the ocean has condition th a t previously
already been reached because existed.”
of state and federal hatchery
production.
Despite the fears and the
A moratorium has been many objections to salmon
enacted halting the issuance of ranches by both fishermen and
private hatchery permits until environmentalists there are
Lannan feels the state has good
control over it now. He feels, ,
.too, that salmon ranching
encourages the free enterprise
concept.
L an n an ex p ressed th e
opinion that this type of
enterprise “ is a positive
contribution to commercial
and recreational fishing.’’
These fish are raised by private
hatcheries at no cost to the
people. They are released into
th e o c e a n w h e re b o th
commericial and recreational
fishermen can catch them.
Those that are not caught
return to the hatcheries. It is
only then that the salmon
becomes the property of the
hatchery once again.
“We are responsible for
all salmon”
—O D FW —
Close watch over these
ranches is; emphasized by state
law and enacted by the ODFW.
There use of Oregon stocks is
preferred. Ken Durbin at the
ODFW office in Portland
states, “We are responsible for
all salmon.”
Salmon ranching is an
industry that is being closely
watched and regulated. The
potential for increasing the
ocean’s supply of salmon is
tremendous unless just the
opposite should occur. It is
O r e g o n ’s fin a l f r o n tie r ,
according to many.
Because salmon ranching is
actually still at an experimental
stage environmentalists also
express fears about ranching
salmon. They are afraid that
the salmon produced at the
ranches will threaten the
endangered native fish by
interbreeding and competing
with them for food. Taxing the
o c e a n ’s c a p a c ity m ig h t
contribute to decreased salmon
runs.
Upriver state and federally
owned hatcheries have recently
shown a decline in the number
of returning adult salmon
despite the increased number
released. Records for coho
salmon indicate a 9 to 20
percent annual decrease. It is
not known whether or not
private coastal hatcheries have
had an effect in contributing to
this decline.
The first private hatchery
permit was issued by the
Oregon .Department of-Fish
arid Wildlife in 1971. Twenty
Replacing the o ld picnic shelter used during Pi-Ume-Sha and other activities is a much sturdier
structure. The Pi-Ume-Sha com m ittee requested a new shelter as the old one was rotting out and
required approximately $600 every year to make it usuable. The new shelter is 24 x 50 fee t arid is
bemg'constructed by'D el Kennel Construction Cd. from Bend at aeoqt, o f $3700^
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,S pUyay Tym oo ph o to by Shewczyk