AbstractA historical review of biological enhancement and fisheries for Iturup Island demonstrates that enhancement has significantly increased numbers of chum salmon while pink salmon are produced almost entirely naturally. Fourteen hatcheries currently produce and release chum salmon fry; four of these also generate pink salmon. Favourable natural conditions make the waters near Iturup Island one of the most productive marine areas in the Russian Far East. Efficient hatcheries combined with favourable conditions resulted in increases in chum salmon catches from less than 100 tonnes in the early 1990s to more than 20 000 tonnes in the late 2010s. Becoming better informed of factors controlling salmon production in the Kuril Islands should help scientists in other regions of the North Pacific understand what controls their own salmon populations.