Commercial drift boat in Cook Inlet. Photo from Upper Cook Inlet Drift Association.

Alaska’s fisheries are stronger with support of Alaska’s salmon hatcheries

  • By BRIAN RITCHIE
  • Thursday, July 13, 2023 1:59am
  • Opinion

I am a small businessman, outdoorsman and a proud lifelong Alaskan. I grew up in Homer where it’s easy to identify and appreciate the value of a strong working waterfront and the opportunities this state has to offer. I love this state, its diverse communities and all of its incredible natural resources that allow us to thrive here. I also love my job as a fishing charter captain, a large part of which allows me to share what I love about Alaska with residents and nonresidents alike. There’s nothing quite like watching someone catch their first fish or even their 100th.

Many of these opportunities exist today in part thanks to Alaska’s hatcheries and the key role they play in maintaining strong wild stocks across the state and in how they bolster the economic well-being of our coastal communities. Alaska’s hatchery program is older than me, with the state establishing the program as we know it today in the early 1970s. It was a founding principle of the hatcheries that the aim of the program would be to supplement — not replace — wild stocks. The vision of ensuring the long-term sustainability of Alaska’s fisheries remains, and has guided the management decisions surrounding the hatcheries in the 50 years since.

Our regional aquaculture association, Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, works alongside the six other nonprofit aquaculture associations and 25 hatcheries throughout the state to ensure that Alaskans can feed their families, support their communities, enjoy wild spaces and honor their cultures. Alaska’s salmon hatcheries produce roughly one billion meals per year for Alaska harvesters and consumers around the world. Our fisheries are a vital part of Alaska life, from the Aleutians to the Interior, and as our state population and tourism has grown, our fishery managers have been able to target hatchery salmon first, in order to relieve pressure from returning wild stocks, to ensure the survival of these runs for future generations.

As with many things, Alaska’s hatchery program has faced some misinformation in recent years. Alaska hatcheries primarily produce pink salmon, largely because they are economically efficient due to their two-year life cycle. Additionally, there has been no scientific evidence that shows that hatchery-born pinks negatively impact wild stock pink salmon populations. In fact, the second highest wild pink salmon return in Alaska’s recorded history occurred as recently as 2021. There is no scientific data that points to hatchery-born pinks impacting king salmon either, particularly due to the fact that king and pink salmon have different diets. While hatchery salmon are an easy scapegoat for recent declines of king salmon populations, there has yet to be a scientific report that demonstrates hatchery-born fish are to blame.

Strengthening Alaska’s salmon populations means strengthening Alaska. Alaska hatcheries provide protection from the natural ebbs and flows in wild stock salmon returns, insulating family commercial fishing businesses, Alaska-based processors, and Alaskans who fish for subsistence and sport from fluctuating wild-born salmon runs. According to McKinley Research, Alaska’s salmon hatcheries contribute $602.1 million in total economic output in Alaska each year.

As a business owner in Homer and active member of Homer’s fishing community, I’ve benefited from this program for the better part of the past eight years, and I’ve watched countless clients reap the benefits as well. I am proud of these hatcheries and their contributions. These are Alaskan hatcheries, employing Alaskans, and benefiting Alaska communities. From providing jobs to local tax revenue to the fish themselves, our hatcheries are critical not only to our state’s seafood industry but to a multitude of other aspects of Alaska life. For the future generations who will depend on our sustainable fisheries and healthy economies we are striving to build today, it would be unfair to discuss hatcheries with arguments rooted in anything other than fact.

Brian Ritchie is 33 years old and was born and raised in Homer. He received a Bachelor’s degree from UAA and finished a Master’s degree in Environmental Science focusing on fisheries in 2020. He started his charter fishing business in 2016 and has been lucky to partner and grow the business, adding more vessels and an office where they provide bookings for other owner-operators in Homer. He is an active community member and wants to see Alaska fisheries and communities thrive.

More in Opinion

A cherished "jolly Santa head" ornament from the Baisden Christmas tree. (Photo provided)
Opinion: Reflections of holidays past

Our family tradition has been to put up our Christmas tree post-Thanksgiving giving a clear separation of the holidays

Screenshot. (https://dps.alaska.gov/ast/vpso/home)
Opinion: Strengthening Alaska’s public safety: Recent growth in the VPSO program

The number of VPSOs working in our remote communities has grown to 79

Soldotna City Council member Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings participates in the Peninsula Clarion and KDLL candidate forum series, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at the Soldotna Public Library in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: I’m a Soldotna Republican and will vote No on 2

Open primaries and ranked choice voting offer a way to put power back into the hands of voters, where it belongs

Nick Begich III campaign materials sit on tables ahead of a May 16, 2022, GOP debate held in Juneau. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: North to a Brighter Future

The policies championed by the Biden/Harris Administration and their allies in Congress have made it harder for us to live the Alaskan way of life

Shrubs grow outside of the Kenai Courthouse on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Vote yes to retain Judge Zeman and all judges on your ballot

Alaska’s state judges should never be chosen or rejected based on partisan political agendas

A vintage Underwood typewriter sits on a table on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at the Homer News in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Point of View: District 6 needs to return to representation before Vance

Since Vance’s election she has closely aligned herself with the far-right representatives from Mat-Su and Gov. Mike Dunleavy

The Anchor River flows in the Anchor Point State Recreation Area on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Help ensure Alaskans have rights to use, enjoy and care for rivers

It is discouraging to see the Department of Natural Resources seemingly on track to erode the public’s ability to protect vital water interests.

A sign directing voters to the Alaska Division of Elections polling place is seen in Kenai, Alaska, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Vote no on Ballot Measure 2

A yes vote would return Alaska to party controlled closed primaries and general elections in which the candidate need not win an outright majority to be elected.

Derrick Green (Courtesy photo)
Opinion: Ballot Measure 1 will help businesses and communities thrive

It would not be good for the health and safety of my staff, my customers, or my family if workers are too worried about missing pay to stay home when they are sick.

A sign warns of the presence of endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales at the Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, July 10, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Could an unnecessary gold mine drive Cook Inlet belugas extinct?

An industrial port for the proposed Johnson Tract gold mine could decimate the bay