Looking Ahead: Infrastructure Challenges and Opportunities
August 15, 2024

Description: ODFW operates 33 hatcheries, 14 of which are owned by the State. These facilities were built several decades ago and have varying degrees of need for major maintenance. Additionally, these facilities are being impacted by the changing climate to varying degrees.

This third webinar summarizes results of a third-party assessment of the climate vulnerability of each facility, the costs and benefits of infrastructure investments in each state-owned hatchery facility, and whether an alternative to the current model could improve the system’s sustainability. Some of the information for this assessment comes from additional third-party assessments that will be described in the presentation. The third webinar will also summarize a third-party report on hatchery policies and regulatory processes that have been developed to ensure that hatcheries meet objectives while being good neighbors to wild fish.

Webinar 3: Hatchery Infrastructure Assessment and Policy and Planning (pdf)

Looking Ahead: Hatchery Economics and Fish Stock Trends
August 8, 2024

Description: This webinar will cover two topics. First, ODFW will summarize results of a third-party economic analysis of Oregon’s state-owned hatcheries. The analysis includes a description of current operating costs and economic benefits of hatchery production. The analysis also describes non-market benefits and costs associated with hatchery production at state-owned facilities, current hatchery funding sources, and potential alternative funding options.

ODFW will also summarize findings from an assessment of the likely impact of climate change on the future viability of hatchery programs. ODFW rears and releases many different species/stocks—some of which will likely do better in future than others. This assessment describes the risks for hatchery programs based on climate vulnerability factors and trends in fish survival for programs in different parts of the state.

Webinar 2: Hatchery Economic Analysis and Viability Assessment (pdf)

Looking Ahead: Assessing Future Need for Hatcheries
August 1, 2024

Description: Hatcheries currently play a critical role in providing harvest opportunity for salmon, steelhead, and trout. Hatcheries also provide a tool to help recover wild populations that are depleted or locally extirpated. To plan for the future of Oregon ’s hatchery system, it is important to know what that need might look like in the future.

In this first webinar, ODFW will lay groundwork for the review with a summary of ongoing and projected environmental changes (e.g., temperature, flow) that are affecting fish populations and hatchery operations in Oregon. ODFW will also present findings from a third-party assessment of the likely future need for hatchery programs for harvest and conservation purposes. The assessment is based on the status of wild populations, climate vulnerability of different stocks in different parts of the state, expected demand for harvest opportunity, and other factors that affect the need for hatchery programs.

Webinar 1: Assessing Future Need for Hatcheries (pdf)