Abstract
This study identifies the sustainability or weakness of some selected salmon hatcheries in the Sanriku region of Iwate prefecture. Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) is a valuable commercial species in this region. Fisheries have heavily relied on the resource of chum salmon that is hatched and released by hatcheries located along rivers. The food system of chum salmon starts from the stage of artificial incubation and release of the fry. Full-grown salmon will be caught mainly by large-scale set netting along coastal lines after migration. Many of the hatcheries were heavily damaged by the Great Earthquake and Tsunami Distster of 2011. However, the research shows that while they have recovered the capacity of fry production with a full support scheme provided by the government, they nonetheless faced some difficulties in effectively operating incubation and releasing.
