Despite their closure in Wales in 2015, salmon hatcheries have remained a controversial and divisive subject.
At a glance, they can appear a viable fishery management option. They involve taking adult salmon out of the river and artificially rearing their progeny in protected surroundings away from predators and other threats such as poor water quality. The young fish are then re-introduced to the river at a later date.
This may sound logical enough. Yet in most instances and for a variety of reasons, hatcheries are not the answer to declining salmon populations. In some cases it could even be argued that they have been a hindrance to recovery themselves.
The Foundation believes strongly that solving the issues that affect the river (i.e. treating the cause and not the symptom) is the most effective way of delivering improvements to fish populations.
Salmon hatcheries are a large and, at times, complex subject. Read more about them, the arguments for and against and their history in the management of the Wye and Usk.