Summary
A Systematic, Science-Driven Review of Washington's Extensive Hatchery System
In May 1999, a group of leading scientists issued a report to Congress saying that hatcheries have the potential to make a major, positive impact on the conservation of wild salmon and steelhead, in just a few years and at relatively small cost.
In response, Congress created and funded the Puget Sound and Coastal Washington Hatchery Reform Project, a groundbreaking, science-driven effort to rethink how hatcheries can be managed to help conserve naturally spawning populations and support sustainable fisheries.
Congress established the Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG), an independent panel of nine highly regarded scientists, as the heart of the reform effort.
LLTK Asked to Facilitate the Review Process
Congress designated LLTK as the project's independent, third-party facilitator, based on our history of working with the state, Tribal, and federal fish managers, our experience rearing salmon at our own facilities, and our projects exploring ways hatcheries can be used to help restore wild salmon populations. In addition to facilitation, LLTK provided project management and communications for the Puget Sound and Coastal Washington Hatchery Reform Project.
Completed in 2005, the project resulted in over 1,000 recommendations for programmatic changes. Learn more by visiting the project website that LLTK maintains as an archive of the effort, at www.hatcheryreform.org.
Related Hatchery Reform Efforts
Upon conclusion of the Puget Sound and Coastal Washington Hatchery Reform Project, LLTK was asked by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to help apply the principles, framework, and review tools developed by the HSRG to a review of all federally-owned and operated hatchery facilities in the Pacific Region. Visit the Pacific Region Federal Hatchery Review website to learn more.
In 2006, the HSRG, working with NOAA Fisheries, expanded its work to prepare recommendations on hatchery and harvest changes in the Columbia River. For more information on that review process, visit www.hatcheryreform.us.
