From the Wild Fish Conservancy, more evidence of the horrible impact of hatcheries: https://wildfishconservancy.org/our-debt-to-the-river-the-scientific-case-against-industrial-salmon-hatcheries/
… the five billion hatchery salmon released annually don’t supplement wild returns—they actively supplant them.
The path forward, then, is not to continue funding a failed experiment but to change course based on the clear evidence. The most critical and immediate step is for fisheries managers to significantly reduce hatchery releases in regions where they directly compete with and replace wild fish populations. This means prioritizing the health of wild, self-sustaining runs over artificial production targets that degrade the entire ecosystem.
It also requires supporting organizations that advocate for wild fish, speaking up at public fishery management meetings, and sharing this science with our communities. Wild salmon have always fulfilled their responsibility to the river; it’s time we fulfilled ours to them.