A salmon hatchery on the Waitaki River is not the only plan for boosting salmon numbers for anglers.
The Central South Island Fish and Game Council is investigating other projects, it was revealed at a public meeting at Glenavy on Tuesday night.
About 120 people at the meeting elected a steering committee to investigate setting up a salmon hatchery using the successful Riparian Support Trust's hatchery on the Rangitata River as an example.
Five people were elected to what could be named the Waitaki salmon enhancement steering committee - Brent Packman (Waimate), Jack Chandra (Oamaru), Trevor Hill (Oamaru), Wayne Ross (Oamaru) and Linn Koevoet (Glenavy).
They will have the power to co-opt other members and have been given the task of investigating a hatchery for the Waitaki River, looking at all the issues including location, funding and how it could be run.
The idea of a hatchery is one project identified by the fish and game council in a report prepared by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa).
The report identified several projects to improve the salmon fishery.
The council deemed the hatchery and enhancement of side braids for rearing juvenile salmon as the two priorities.
Fish and game officer Mark Webb said there were no obvious answers to why the salmon fishery had declined between 1965 and 2005.
However, the report identified ways to improve the fishery long-term - Mr Webb suggested 20, 30 and 50 years.
One of the top priorities was improving side braids of the river used by juvenile salmon, which had a greater chance of long-term survival and returning as adults to spawn.
Suitable braids had been identified and were being surveyed for juvenile populations.
Mr Webb said the next steps were to.
• Obtain vehicle access.
• Investigate a works programme and costs to improve the braids, including willow removal, flood protection and protection against low flows.
• Survey the current spawning use in May.
• Survey the current juvenile use.
• A survey was carried out in October and others are planned in March and October.
• Protect the braids from other activities such as jet-boating, stock and river control.
• Monitor spawning and juvenile rearing changes.
• Continue maintenance and enhancement of the habitat in response to salmon use.
Mr Webb gave the example of one of the braids, the overflow from Bell's Pond at Ikawai.
He said 10% of all salmon spawning occurred there.
