NOAA Fisheries plans a radical shift in salmon policy that could ultimately affect the use of our water, where we log, and how we develop.

Chinook, coho, and sockeye are just three of the 27 different runs of wild salmon in the Northwest that are in danger. Their numbers so low, they could disappear.

So where do hatchery-raised fish fit in that equation? Can they help? The government now says yes.

"You can bolster the naturally spawning run," says NOAA Fisheries Administrator Bob Lohn. "We know because it's been done and it appears to work."

But there's a cost. Hatchery fish compete with wild fish, and don't have the same genetic diversity for long-term survival. That's why in the past the government has not included hatchery fish when deciding if certain salmon runs should be protected. Now the government plans a radical shift in adding hatchery fish to the count.

"It really leaves the door open for mischief," says Bellingham fisherman Jeremy Brown.

Critics including Save Our Wild Salmon and Trout Unlimited believe the new proposed policy dilutes endangered species protection. And that it leaves the door open for lawsuits by groups who want to end salmon protections altogether.

"This is really a sleight of hand," says Brown, "where we're saying these fish are almost good enough so as long as there's plenty of them, you really don't have to worry." Brown adds it will make it easier for groups that want more water, more development, and more logging now limited by salmon protections.

But NOAA Fisheries says not so. "So we're not saying that all these fish are considered equally," says Lohn. "In fact we try to make it very clear that that's not the heart of this policy."

But the heart of the policy will likely change salmon management for future generations. And with the symbol of the Northwest at stake, no one in this debate is satisfied.

Private property advocates are also unhappy with the proposed change, saying it does not go far enough in counting hatchery salmon. They are already planning a lawsuit.

Friday's announcement by the government opens a 90 day window for public comment, after that the rule will become law.