Recent research suggests that hatcheries have been an important factor contributing to the decline of salmon runs throughout the Pacific Northwest. This dissertation research project is designed to cast historical light on the construction of management policies through time, with particular attention paid to the emergence of artificial propagation as the primary tool of salmon management. The Oregon salmon fisheries serve as a long term case study of the intersection of federal, state, and private understandings of salmon management. Archive-based research will focus on correspondence between government administrators, fishery managers, industry leaders, and fishermen. The research is designed to illuminate the varied understandings of the nature of salmon and to discern the relative influence of economic interests, political agendas, and science in the shaping of fishery management. A central question is why artificial propagation emerged and remained the primary tool of salmon management when there was little scientific support or demonstration of its efficacy. A historical approach to this question should help scientists and managers better understand the forces that have shaped fishery science and its application over time.
