Salmon Surrogate Study: Inflated survival rate of Chinook
Posted /Fundamental FlawsAppendix 1.2 – Snake River Endangered Salmon White Paper
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires both survival and recovery of Snake River listed wild salmon stocks.1 A plethora of National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS,” aka NOAA Fisheries Service) and independent research clearly establishes that hatchery produced displacement of wild fish and domestication of the gene pool is detrimental to wild fish production and sustainability. Yet in response to state and tribal hatchery pressure to establish a harvestable allotment of unmarked Snake River fall Chinook, NMFS has allowed an increasingly higher percentage of hatchery produced Snake River fall Chinook to spawn with and displace wild fall Chinook. This not only reduces the wild population numbers, it also dilutes the wild salmon genetics.