I like what Neffa mentioned about changing the way we fish for salmon. Here a few random thoughts I have, which are my opinions not meant to agitate those with opposing views.
Maximum sustained yield is a poor commercial harvest strategy which really isn’t doing anything for salmon conservation. In reality, harvest needs to be focused on a ‘place based’ model - local harvest on local rivers by local people…as it has been done successfully for thousands of years. In less than 200 years our system has virtually destroyed salmon (harvest, habitat, hydropower, hatcheries, warming waters).
It’s a crime the way Salmon are being harvested commercially and the dept of commerce has no business continuing to commodify a rapidly declining resource that has immense cultural value. Without salmon, the Pacific Northwest is just another place.
I would suggest limiting all harvest to recreational anglers only (and obviously tribes). This can also be problematic as a big chunk of the rec anglers are only focused on hatchery fish, which is a broken relationship with the resource. Why take care of rivers if we can just bypass that responsibility and raise salmon like cows with tax payer dollars?
A reciprocal relationship is doing something for the resource that does something for you. That is what can make a consumptive based relationship so effective.
Consumptive elk hunters have skin in the game. Most hunters, and the elk, need large expanses of land. Therefore hunters are more likely to advocate for something meaningful that actually helps the resource - public land, habitat, etc. This is a reciprocal relationship.
A large segment of consumptive salmon anglers spend most of their time advocating for more hatchery to harvest while systematically rallying to the defense of poorly regulated extraction industries and environmental deregulation platforms. They continue to chant the mantra “there are no wild fish left and the habitat is too far gone, let’s increase hatchery propagation”. It’s a broken relationship that ignores where salmon come from.
By in large, with a few exceptions, the tribes, environmental groups and volunteers such as TU, WFC, NFS, Wild Salmon Center, CBD, Water watch, Wetlands Conservancy, etc, and countless watershed councils are the ones working for better Salmon conditions that benefit the fish. Some use hatchery fish for conservation purposes, such as re-establishing runs, but have a goal of transitioning to a naturally sustaining run. As it should be, aside from select rivers too far degraded. The tribes understandably utilize hatcheries for cultural reasons.
Ultimately, I would also support shutting down certain fisheries until we learn how to predictably harvest salmon. With all the treaties and what not it’s going to take a mega emergency for anything to change and that’s sad.
