Originally posted by Locust:
If artificially propagated fish are released in streams foreign to their origin, out of synchrony with their natural timing, released in large numbers, or released purely for increased harvest opportunity, major problems can be anticipated.
The brood stock and the breeding protocol followed by the hatchery must be selected to represent the genetic diversity of the target population. The eggs should be incubated in substrate, and rearing protocol should use the wild juveniles as the model for size and time of release to the natural stream. Lower rearing densities, actions to reduce domestication influences, and feeding regimes that fit the seasonal pattern experienced by the wild fish should be employed.
.
These seem to be valid points. What he describes above is very nearly the way B.C. hatcheries have been doing things. Their hatchery steelhead seem far superior to most that we produce and I can’t prove this, but I suspect they are much more successful at spawning as well.
By using wild fish for brood stock and by catching those fish with hook and line, as is done in B.C. for most steelhead brood stock and some Chinook stocks, you get fish that are native to the river, that had wild parents that were biters. Unfortunately, many for the suggestion listed above may prove to be much more expensive than our current hatchery practices.
I believe we need to wait to see what our hatchery scientific reform group comes up with, and then implement their suggestions. (This is the most comprehensive look at our hatchery practices ever undertaken.) But we may find that improving overall hatchery practices will require much more funding or a cutback on production.
Previous Topic
Index
