SWFSC Fisheries Ecology
Division scientists convened the first meeting of a workgroup to evaluate
alternative marking and tagging programs for hatchery produced California fall Chinook
salmon. This scientific workgroup was formed in response to a joint request
from the NMFS Southwest Region, the California Department of Fish and Game, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to more thoroughly review the costs,
benefits, and risks of alternative marking/tagging systems, including the
current tagging system.
Mass marking and mark-selective
fisheries have recently been proposed as a basis for an alternative management
system for fall Chinook salmon in California.
The possible benefits that would accrue from the proposal include improved
genetic fitness of hatchery broodstock and natural spawning populations, and
significantly increased overall harvest and fishing opportunity with decreased
fishing mortality on ESA-listed and unmarked stocks. However, many questions
and concerns have been raised about this proposal regarding the certainty of
these benefits, the unintended consequences that could occur with
implementation, and the costs of such a program. Other marking/tagging system
proposals have also been put forward that promise certain benefits over the
current system.
The SWFSC accepted the request
and charged the Fisheries Ecology Division with organizing and executing the
process. A steering committee was established including Churchill Grimes and
Tommy Williams (SWFSC Fisheries Ecology Division), Alice Low (California DFG),
Jim Smith (USFWS) and Don Jackson (American Fisheries Society). Workgroup
participants from the Fisheries Ecology Division include Steve Lindley and
Michael Mohr, and Carlos Garza presented information concerning parentage based
(genetic) tagging.
The next meeting for the
workgroup will be 18 November 2009 in Sacramento
and will provide an opportunity for interested parties with data/information
relevant to the issue to provide those data to the workgroup.
(November
9, 2009)