A brand new report from Save the Wild Rogue analyzed the economic value of salmon and steelhead in the Rogue River. Here are some of the results:
West coast residents enjoy more than $1.5 billion in economic benefit each year from the entirety of all Rogue River salmon and steelhead runs.
Oregonians have consistently stated that improving salmon habitat is important and have expressed a willingness to pay more than $70 million dollars per year to enhance salmon habitat in Oregon. Oregon and Washington residents state a willingness to pay more than $800 per fish to increase Northwest salmon populations
While many salmon runs in the Northwest are either endangered or threatened, the majority of the Rogue’s salmon runs remain relatively strong. Over the past decade, salmon and steelhead counts at Gold Ray Dam average nearly 87,000 fish annually. As residential and commercial development continues to degrade Northwest rivers, it becomes increasingly important to protect the scarce, healthy rivers such as the Rogue and its tributaries.
All the money in the world spent on on habitat restoration won’t improve the Rogue’s wild fish populations if we keep dumping so many hatchery fish into the system. Our greatest salmon and steelhead river has been converted into a put-and-take hatchery river/grocery store. If people value the fish so much, they should fight to keep hatchery adults under 15% of the total run, giving wild fish a chance to recover.
I know my rants can be annoying, but the hatchery issue is huge on the Rogue, and I think it’s critical to keep it in the spotlight, especially related to a conversation about the “value” of a fishery.