Each year more than one third of all the salmon caught in Alaska begin their lives in a hatchery.
There are 31 hatchery facilities in Alaska: 15 privately owned, 11 state owned, two federal research facilities, one tribal hatchery at Metlakatla, and 2 state owned sport fish hatcheries.
Alaska's hatchery program is very different from fish farming, where salmon are crammed tightly into net pens until they're ready for market. All salmon born in Alaska's hatcheries come from wild brood stock, and are released as fingerlings to the sea. When those fish return home, they make a huge contribution to the catch.
According to the annual Salmon Enhancement Report by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, 58 million hatchery salmon were caught in the common property salmon fishery last year. That equated to 34 percent of Alaska's 157 million fish harvest, with a dockside value of $113 million.
The breakdown by species: 56 percent chums, 47 percent pinks, 23 percent coho, 12 percent Chinook and 5 percent of the sockeye were hatchery starts.
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