Publication Abstract

The fitness of hatchery-reared fish for survival in the sea

B. Howell

The demonstration in the 1960s that juvenile flatfish could be reared in large numbers provided the impetus for the subsequent development of rearing techniques for a wide range of valuable marine fish species. The output from the hatcheries which proliferated throughout the 1970s and 1980s has supported not only the development of a rapidly expanding intensive farming industry but renewed attempts to evaluate the feasibility of artificially enhancing recruitment to natural stocks. It has become increasingly clear, however, that hatchery-reared fish are not as well equipped as their wild counterparts to survive the challenges of a hostile natural environment. Released hatchery fish may differ from native fish with respect to their distribution, feeding, reproductive performance and, most importantly to enhancement exercises, survival. This paper reviews the characteristics of hatchery-reared fish which may prejudice their survival in the sea and discusses the approaches that may be adopted to improve their performance.

Reference:

B. Howell, 1994. The fitness of hatchery-reared fish for survival in the sea. Aquaculture and Fisheries Management: 25(1): 3-17.