Salmon spend only six weeks in fresh water on their way down stream to the ocean. Salmon don't eat on their way upstream. Food is much more abundant in the ocean where salmon live most of their lives. Many people think that hatcheries are too expensive to run. Many small cities and towns get their main source of income from sports fishermen, paying hotel bills, eating at restaurants, renting gear, a boat and hiring a guide is very expensive for the fishermen but gives the community a large sum of money.
Commercial fishermen pay taxes, provide jobs, supply stores with salmon.
To help cut costs, hatcheries recycle the spent salmon by selling the bodies to a fish food company who in turn sells it back to the hatchery at a discounted price. Hatcheries do this because in the wild the young salmon eat their decaying parents. For the past 60 years hatcheries have been helping to supply the Northwest with salmon. Hatcheries help provide jobs for commercial fishermen to bring salmon to the consumer. Hatcheries also provide fish for the recreational user.