Thursday April 17, 2025
BCWF —
A review of the risks and benefits of a conservation hatchery for Interior Fraser Steelhead by scientists at the University of British Columbia suggests there may be a way forward for steelhead runs that are teetering on the brink of extirpation.
Hatchery programs produce mixed results when they are poorly designed, but Dr. Murdoch McAllister and his colleagues approached the review without bias to learn what reliable studies say about both successes and failures.
The B.C. Wildlife Federation and its member clubs helped fund the review to learn if there are potentially effective options to recover these iconic fish.
Using multiple models, researchers evaluated the outcomes of various hatchery program methodologies that could be applied to the specific issues facing steelhead populations in the Thompson and Chilcotin River systems.