Alaska hatchery operators have agreed to a five-year moratorium on increasing pink and chum salmon egg takes, following concerns about hatchery production and its potential impacts on wild salmon populations.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang confirmed the agreement during the Alaska Board of Fisheries’ Oct. 28 work session, according to KMXT.
The agreement, signed Oct. 22, prevents hatcheries from launching new pink or chum salmon projects or increasing egg takes at existing facilities through 2031. The moratorium could be renewed for another five years. All of Alaska's aquaculture associations signed the agreement except the Valdez Fisheries Development Association. However, Vincent-Lang said the department would not approve permit increases for any hatcheries during the moratorium, regardless of whether they signed.
“I just wanted to make sure everybody was aware that this is signed and it's in place, and we follow through on our commitment as a department,” Vincent-Lang said.
The agreement follows a March request from the Board of Fisheries for a 10-year moratorium on hatchery egg take increases. Rather than act on hatchery-related proposals at that meeting, board members asked the department to establish formal restrictions.
Hatchery operators had voluntarily limited increases under an informal agreement dating back to 2019, but some expressed concerns about making the restrictions formal, citing operational flexibility and a lack of conclusive scientific evidence linking hatchery production to negative impacts on wild salmon.
In a letter to Vincent-Lang, Valdez Fisheries Development Association board president Thane Miller explained the organization's decision not to sign. “We believe our programs have become a point of political leverage in an effort to address concerns that remain scientifically unresolved,” Miller wrote.
During the October work session, the Board of Fisheries also voted 6-1 against an agenda change request seeking to reduce statewide hatchery production to fewer than 100 million fish annually.
Board member Mike Wood pointed to the newly established moratorium as a reason to hold off on additional restrictions. “The state has agreed to put the brakes on already,” Wood said. “I believe we should just wait and see how that works.”
The board is expected to consider hatchery-related proposals again during its next statewide finfish meeting in 2029.
