What makes a salmon wild?

Hearing people talk about "wild" and "hatchery" salmon can be confusing. Under Oregon's Wild Fish Management Policy, adopted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1992, wild salmon are those that are hatched in a stream and return to a stream for spawning. Hatchery salmon are released into streams when they're young. They migrate to the ocean and try to return to the hatchery when they're mature. Most are caught by commercial and recreational fishers before they reach the hatchery (many salmon sold in grocery stores and fish markets are hatchery-reared fish). But some hatchery fish stray into streams.

Historically, each wild salmon belonged to a specific genetic clan, which scientists call "local breeding populations," adapted to return or "home" to a particular spawning stream. However, some people now argue that after more than 50 years of hatchery rearing, the distinction between wild and hatchery fish has been blurred because some hatchery fish are straying and interbreeding with wild fish.

A wild fish isn't always a native fish. For example, brook trout in Oregon reproduce in streams and lakes and are wild, but they aren't native to the state. The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, a statewide public/private effort, is geared to restoring wild, native salmon.

Produced and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension work is a cooperative program of Oregon State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Oregon counties. Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran's status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Copyright © 1995- Oregon State University. Disclaimer.