Stock Enhancement
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Frank Thrower
Auke Bay Laboratories
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries
Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
17109 Pt Lena Loop Rd
Juneau AK 99801
(907) 789-6055
Frank.Thrower@noaa.gov
Research on salmon stock enhancement, with the goal of building
sustainable fisheries, is conducted at the
Little Port Walter (LPW) Research Station.
Research from the 1930s to the 1960s was directed toward the biology of
naturally-spawning pink and coho salmon populations, including
determination of optimal spawning escapement for maximum production of
returning adults. Improving the management of natural populations
was a primary focus. This research evolved into examining ways of
supplementing natural production, using such means as stocking fish in
underutilized natural environments or even producing fish in completely
artificial environments for later release in order to augment
traditional commercial and sport fisheries. See
Enhancement technology.
Another important research direction has been the development of
specific brood lines of chinook salmon from wild populations, for use in
commercial production salmon ranching programs in Southeast Alaska. This research began in the mid-1970s and continues today.
See Brood stock development for more
information on this program. For more information on 2003 LPW
chinook releases and recoveries, see Data
Sets, Monitoring: Little Port Walter (LPW)
In recent years, the focus of salmon stock enhancement research has
been on the evaluation of impacts of artificially-enhanced populations
on wild populations (Hatchery-Wild Stock
Interactions)
and on the feasibility of using freshwater lakes for
maintaining endangered stocks of steelhead.
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