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NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-53
Review of Potential Impacts of Atlantic Salmon Culture on Puget Sound Chinook Salmon and Hood Canal Summer-run Chum Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Units F. William Waknitz11, Tim J. Tynan3, Colin E. Nash2, Robert N. Iwamoto2, and Larry G. Rutter3
1Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2Northwest Fisheries Science Center 3NMFS Northwest Regional Office June 2002 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Donald L. Evans, Secretary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Vice Admiral Conrad G. Lautenbaucher, Jr. USN (Ret), Administrator National Marine Fisheries Service William T. Hogarth, Administrator for Fisheries |
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS Series
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the Na tional Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, uses the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS series to issue informal scientific and technical publications when complete formal review and editorial processing are not appropriate or feasible due to time constraints. Documents published in this series may be referenced in the scientific and technical literature.
The NMFS-NWFSC Technical Memorandum series of
the Northwest Fisheries Science Center continues the
NMFS-F/NWC series established in 1970 by the
Northwest & Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which
has since been split into the Northwest Fisheries
Science Center and the Alaska Fisheries Science
Center. The NMFS-AFSC Technical Memorandum
series is now being used by the Alaska Fisheries
Science Center.
Reference throughout this document to trade names
does not imply endorsement by the National Marine
Fisheries Service, NOAA.
This document should be cited as follows:
Waknitz, F.W., T.J. Tynan, C.E. Nash, R.N. Iwamoto,
and L.G. Rutter. 2002. Review of potential impacts
of Atlantic salmon culture on Puget Sound chinook
salmon and Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon
evolutionarily significant units. U.S. Dept. Commer.,
NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NWFSC-53, 83p.
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This HTML file represents the Introduction only; the rest of the document is available only in PDF format.
This document examines the potential of Atlantic salmon farming in Puget Sound to impose adverse impacts on the Puget Sound chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon (O. keta) evolutionarily significant units (ESUs), both of which were listed as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in March 1999. The threatened status of these populations requires that all activities that may harm the fish or their critical habitat be limited such that they do not appreciably reduce the likelihood for recovery of the ESUs in the wild.
Many of the activities that may lead to the take of listed salmon in Puget Sound, including the artificial propagation of salmonids in hatcheries and marine enclosures, will have effects that are incidental to otherwise lawful activities. Among such activities is the private culture of Atlantic salmon. This document presents the best scientific and commercial information available to evaluate the possible effects of salmon farming on listed chinook and summer-run chum salmon populations, and will provide the scientific basis for federal regulatory agency direction for the appropriate management of the industry in Puget Sound.
Much of the available scientific information pertaining
to salmon aquaculture was produced by NMFS in furtherance of its national mandate
to advocate environmentally sustainable aquaculture through research, technology
development, financial assistance, and regulatory programs. Locally, Washington
State policies also recognize aquaculture as a legitimate and beneficial use
of its coastal waters. By reason of NMFS' concomitant responsibilities to conserve
Pacific salmon species, especially those listed under the ESA, the agency has
also collected, analyzed, and published a significant amount of scientific information
relevant to the specific issue of Atlantic salmon impacts on federally listed
Pacific salmon. After conducting several scientific reviews of Washington's
Atlantic salmon farming industry, including the present one, NMFS concluded
that the operations can be managed to minimize risks to local salmon populations.
In particular, NMFS found that Washington State regulation of the industry provides
adequate protection to stocks of Pacific salmon listed under the ESA. Nonetheless,
there are legitimate issues associated with hatchery-reared salmon and trout
that end up in natural ecosystems, either by deliberate release or by escape
from the rearing facility.
Concerns regarding the artificial propagation of salmon and trout in the Pacific Northwest have been expressed numerous times in recent years, focused primarily on Pacific salmon hatcheries. However, concerns about the potential adverse impacts of private trout and Atlantic salmon culture in Washington have been expressed as well. Uncertainty about genetic and ecological interactions and the transmission of disease among Atlantic and Pacific salmon are the most commonly voiced concerns.
It should be understood that this
review does not intend to evaluate potential risks associated with Atlantic
salmon farming anywhere in the world except Puget Sound, Washington. Also, social
issues related to salmon farming in Puget Sound are not discussed. Much of the
material presented here has been taken from previous NMFS evaluations of the
risks of Atlantic salmon in Pacific coast states or from NMFS' ESA-related status
reviews of West Coast salmonids
The authors thank the following individuals, who kindly provided information and assitance that was essential to the completion of this document: Donald Noakes and Andrew Thomson of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Peter Granger and Keven Bright of the Washington Fish Growers Association; Robert Kope and Lee Harrell of NMFS; Jim Parsons of Troutlodge, Inc.; Andy Appleby and Dave Seiler of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; and Tim Wheeler of the Port of Seattle.
The authors also give special thanks to the individuals who provided critical comments on draft versions of this document: Kevin Amos, Tom Good, Jeff Hard, Peter Kareiva, and Conrad Mahnken of NMFS; Reginald Reisenbichler of the U.S. Geological Survey; Donald Noakes, Trevor Evelyn, and Andrew Thomson of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Mart Gross, University of Toronto; Ian Fleming, Oregon State University; Kenneth Brooks, Aquatic Environmental Sciences, Inc.; and Donald Campton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The conclusions and recommendations in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the reviewers.