New hatchery management strategies in the Columbia River Basin focus on conservation of naturally spawning populations as an equal priority to providing fish for harvest—a difficult halance to achieve. The Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG) assessed 178 hatchery programs and 351 salmonid populations to determine how to achieve managers’ goals for conservation and sustainable fisheries. Modeling determined the best strategy, using an approach based on best available science, goal identification, scientific defensibility, and adaptive management to refocus from an aquaculture paradigm to a renewable natural resource paradigm. We concluded that hatcheries and natural populations must be managed with the same biological principles. HSRG solutions improved the conservation status of many populations (25% for steelhead trout, more than 70% for Chinook and coho salmons) while also providing increased harvest. Natural‐origin steelhead trout and coho salmon spawners increased by 6,000 to 10,000; Chinook salmon increased by more than 35,000 compared to current numbers. Hatchery juvenile production decreased slightly, and in most cases production shifted from populations of concern. Overall harvest potential increased from 717,000 to 818,000 fish by focusing on selective fishing and by reheating some in‐river harvest closer to where the fish originate. With habitat improvements, often the number of natural‐origin fish nearly doubled.

We conducted an experiment comparing the age at maturity of hatchery coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch sired with 2% or 100% age-2 jacks and released at two smolt sizes. Progeny sired by 100% age-2 males returned significantly more age-2 jacks than did those sired with 2% age-2 males. However, the survival and mean length of age-3 fish was similar for the two groups. Significantly more age-2 returns were produced by releasing larger (34-40 g) smolts rather than smaller (23-28 g) ones, but smolt size did not affect the survival or mean length of age-3 returns.

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) were reared at six pond stocking rates at each of two Columbia River hatcheries in 3 years to determine if hatchery stocking rate affects postrelease survival. The low end of the stocking range was about 85% of the recommended rate, given elevation, water temperature, and release si/.es. Upper ends of the range were somewhat in excess of normal production procedures. Samples of each group were coded-wire-tagged at release, and marine survival rates were estimated from tag recoveries. Scale sample measurements were used to estimate lengths at release for age-2 and age-3 adults returning to the hatcheries, and thereby determine whether high stocking rates differentially affected postrclease survivability of small and larger juveniles. There was no demonstrated effect of stocking rate on survivability for releasedate density indices ranging from 0.037 to 0.43 and flow indices ranging from 1.13 to 5.10 over all years at both hatcheries. Scale analysis indicated that small and large juveniles at release survived at similar rates regardless of pond stocking rates. Sexually mature males returning at age 2 tended to have been released as larger juveniles. Males and females returning after 3 years usually had been released as smaller juveniles.

Electronic fish counters produce accurate counts, are less stressful to fish, and require fewer personnel than traditional methods of counting smolts of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha), steclhead (O. mykiss), and sea-run cutthroat trout (O. clarki) released from hatcheries.

Test groups of coded‐wire‐tagged yearling coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch were either volitionally released or forcibly released for 3 years at two hatcheries. Results for the two release methods showed similar survivals for age‐2 males (jacks) or age‐3 fish. We suggest that volitional release could have benefits in feed savings and allow limited water to be redirected in the hatchery.