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Warning on trout hatcheries could force changes

Posted by: Maven on July 5, 2009 at 7:21 am

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Hatchery-raised steelhead trout pass on genetic defects that hamper survival of even their wild-born offspring, according to a study that biologists say could lead to a radical shift in the way salmon breeding programs operate on the West Coast.

The recent Oregon State University study found that even hatchery fish whose parents were wild develop and pass on genetic defects severe enough to hamper the reproductive ability of their offspring. The implication, scientists said, is that hatchery programs for all salmonid species, including steelhead, chinook and coho, could actually be harming the natural balance and contributing to the demise of the once plentiful salmon runs in California, Oregon and Washington.

“Past studies have always suggested that hatchery-produced fish are of lesser quality, but this study shows it is more disturbing than we thought,” said Tina Swanson, a fishery scientist and the executive director of the Bay Institute. “This is the clearest indication that hatchery-produced fish can actually harm wild stocks. It underscores my suspicion that hatcheries are not the solution.”

The issue is critically important to biologists, fishermen and water managers in California, where the commercial salmon fishing season was shut down for a second straight year after another paltry return of spawning fall run chinook.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

July 5, 2009 · Filed Under Wildlife & Endangered Species

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