Statewide Hatchery Evaluation Study PDF Download

The salmon hatchery program in Alaska is governed by policies, plans, and regulations that emphasize protection of wild salmon stocks. This report reviews the Sheldon Jackson salmon hatchery located in Sitka, Alaska, for consistency with those policies and prescribed management practices. The hatchery was constructed in 1975 and permitted to Sheldon Jackson College, where it served primarily as an education component of the college. In 2010, Sitka Sound Science Center was permitted to operate the facility after Sheldon Jackson College closed. The hatchery continues to serve primarily as an education and research facility. The facility produces pink, coho and chum salmon. The even-year pink salmon ancestral stock is from the Indian River, as is the ancestral coho stock. The odd-year pink salmon stock originated from nearby Starrigavin River. The chum salmon ancestral stock is comprised of several donor stocks from rivers in Sitka Sound. These stocks have been produced at the hatchery since the late 1970s and have intermingled with Indian River stocks for about 3 decades. A portion of the coho salmon releases are marked with coded wire tags and adipose finclip. All pink and chum salmon are thermal otolith marked. Coho salmon are sampled in the commercial fisheries to assess contribution. Three area streams are monitored for straying. The basic management plan for the hatchery should be updated to reflect current hatchery operations. Egg take procedures should be reviewed to ensure egg-take numbers do not exceed permitted capacity. The need for sampling the Indian River escapement for hatchery strays should be reviewed in light of the integration of the hatchery and Indian River stocks since the 1970s.