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Debates about Pacific Northwest salmon issues easily devolve into the sort of "holier than thou" fights that simmer between some of the feistier Protestant church denominations, but once in a while some actual facts help illuminate the validity — or lack thereof — of restoration strategies.

Such is the case concerning the argument over whether it is better to restore habitat and permit salmon to take reproduction into their own fins, versus running the process ourselves in hatcheries. Columbia Basin Bulletin reports, "The average cost to produce a juvenile coho salmon through habitat restoration in British Columbia is about the same cost as producing a hatchery salmon, according to a recent study."

It costs an average of about $1 to produce a coho smolt in a hatchery, whereas restored habitat can produce one for as little as 69 cents, even after taking into account the expense of making sure that restoration projects remain viable for at least 30 years, the study concluded about work in British Columbia and Washington state. Projects that concentrate on providing specialized spawning habitat can cost considerably more, but projects that emphasize providing young salmon places to overwinter and grow are particularly cost effective, the study found.

Read the full story at Daily Astorian>>

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