Dear HCN,
Logger Kirkmire’s letter
in your Dec. 4 edition requires several
responses.
1) The people he claims are outraged
about the killing of excess hatchery salmon need to study up on
their biology and ecology. Any watershed has a limited capacity for
spawning and rearing of salmon. To introduce more spawning adults
into a watershed beyond that capacity would simply interfere with
the wild fish which either had already spawned or were to do so
later. So killing the excess fish makes biological
sense.
2) He claims that “the assertion that
hatchery salmon are somehow inferior to wild salmon doesn’t even
pass the straight-face test.” It is more than an assertion. It is
the conclusion of almost all of the fish biologists who belong to
the American Fisheries Society. Read their scientific reports for
the reasoning and evidence.
3) He is correct that
the Endangered Species Act is about “modifying the public’s
behavior.” If the public will not change voluntarily the behavior
that for a century has ruined the habitat for spawning, rearing and
migration of anadromous fish, then the ESA is a last
resort.
4) His assertion that “as long as I can
go to the local Costco or Safeway and purchase a salmon for the
barbecue” reveals the depth of his biological ignorance. Those fish
are farm-raised for the market and bear little resemblance to the
wild fish we are trying to save.
Thanks for High
Country News. Keep up the good work. Roger A.
Bachman
Portland,
Oregon
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Salmon for barbecue hardly the issue.
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