The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has prepared plans to expand hatchery production by more than 62 million salmon over 2018 levels—an increase of more than 40%. On August 5, the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a legislative budget proposal that includes tens of millions of dollars to support this expansion. And the Department has already taken big steps to implement this expansion. Earlier this year, the hatchery division manager announced that state hatcheries were releasing 11 million more hatchery salmon than the previous year, adding to a previous increase of at least 26.1 million.
Yet the Commission has never approved any specific plans to increase hatchery production. The Department has never submitted for public review any plans to increase hatchery production. And the Department has never performed an environmental review of any plans to increase hatchery production, as mandated by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
Read our letter to learn more about this expansion and the lasting impacts it could have on Washington’s endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales and the wild salmon population.
