Fight Against Fish Hatcheries
Chandler Schloder
For my second blog post
I would like to bring up the issue of fish hatcheries. Many people have said
that hatcheries are a great way to bring back fish populations, while other people
say that hatcheries have been found to be nothing but a racket. This has been a
major issue lately and has been an issue for a long period of time. Another
reason this has been an issue is because the stocked fish help the population
increase tremendously, but at the same time those large populations deteriorate
and only have short-lived gains.
The majority of the
argument is in the issue with Salmon (Salmo
salar) and Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Steelhead can
live up to nine years and spend between one and three years in freshwater
before entering the ocean. After spawning, many adult steelhead return to the sea and some return
to freshwater multiple times. Pacific salmon only have the ability to spawn one
time, which die after their first and only spawning. Both of these species are
anadromous, which means they are born in freshwater, migrate to saltwater, and
then return to freshwater to spawn (FOCPR 2013).
There are a few
benefits to hatchery fish; the biggest benefit is that these fish tremendously
increase the population of that species. There was a study done in the 1970’s
on the North Umpqua, which is found in Oregon. The summer runs of steelhead
ranged between 2,000 and 3,000 adult wild steelhead each year. Once they began
using hatcheries the population shot up to 15,000 fish, which is a huge
increase (Baughman 2016).
Many people depend on
building and sustaining hatcheries and say these hatchery fish are extremely
important, but some studies argue against that. “At all stages of life, from
fresh water out to the ocean and back, hatchery fish compete with wild fish for
space and food, to the clear detriment of the wild fish. Studies have
conclusively proved that even when hatchery steelhead survive to spawn in the
wild, their offspring have little success at reproducing” (Baughman 2016).
As for the fisherman
catching these fish there is a huge difference between wild and hatchery fish.
The actions of these fish are completely different. A stocked fish was raised
in a tank and its only purpose is to allow fisherman to catch them and either
keep or release. A wild fish was born in the wild and had to find food, avoid
predators, and survive many years before capable of returning to freshwater to
spawn. A stocked fish is not very energetic and can be very sluggish at times,
a wild fish in most cases are very hard to catch because they are smart, but
also when they are hooked it is their first time and they fight hard a vigorously
to break free.
The issue isn’t with the fisherman though. The real
issue is with the wild fish populations and the health of the rivers and
streams in which they are stocking hatchery fish. Aldo Leopold once concluded, “that
throwing an intricate river system out of natural balance places that system in
danger. He pointed out that planting fish has nothing to do with identifying
and solving the specific problems that led to the presumed need to plant them,
and he believed that far more good could be accomplished by doing away with
hatcheries and investing in habitat protection and restoration instead.”
In other cases it isn’t
even the hatchery fish that are the issue. In some places and river systems dams
and logging create silted-up spawning beds and blocked small streams. Salmon
and trout died because the water temperatures were driven to intolerable
heights. Not only did these conditions cause the wild fish populations to
decrease, but it allowed some of the “junk” fish species to move in and thrive.
If it wasn’t for some of these river issues such as dams and logging, we may
have never needed to begin using hatchery fish.
Personally, I believe
this is a huge issue that needs to be solved. I believe we should avoid using
hatchery fish and allow the wild population to recover on its own and set more
regulations for these species. With dams coming down, why not hatcheries? We
need to make an effort to protect and conserve these wild fish populations
before it is too late.
Literature Cited
https://www.google.com/search?q=steelhead&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0a
hUKEwiY1ouUx73TAhVOfiYKHeQmDkMQ_AUIBigB&biw=683&bih=555#imgrc=E
TXXLj0r-sMA8M:
https://www.google.com/search?q=salmon+in+spawn&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X
&ved=0ahUKEwjiq4nAy73TAhWE7iYKHSZuAjIQ_AUIBigB&biw=683&bih=555#im
grc=cLgxgBl04cu4hM:
Michael Baughman
Opinion Dec. 13, 2016 Print Share Subscribe Donate Now. "High Country
News." An Argument against Fish
Hatcheries. N.p., 13 Dec. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Pacific Region. "Steelhead Facts." Fisheries and Oceans
Canada,
Pacific Region. N.p., 14 May 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Hello Chandler,
ReplyDeleteI feel that hatchery fish should be placed in waters where there is not a native population of returning wild salmon. One reason why I feel this way is because they are a major food competitor with the wild fish this may not be the case for salmon, but defiantly for the steelhead species. Another reason why I feel hatchery fish should not be placed in the same waters as wild fish is because when the stocked fish are placed they are not ready to breed therefore they become a predator for the freshly laid eggs by the wild fish population.
Thank you for your input on the matter. I did not know that there was that big of a difference between stocked and wild raised fish. Though I still think that hatcheries are a good idea and a great management technique to keep fish at their native ranges is it necessary to stock fish that are already there, and if we are still fishing in places where the fish are scares, should we even be fishing there in the first place? We should allow natural species to grow to a sustainable rate before we try to hunt them.
ReplyDeleteHi Chandler, I agree but disagree. I think state agencies need to be more careful of where they stock fish. They need to keep the hatchery fish out of the true native waterways. But I also think it is important to stock in some locations for the recreation of fishing. People expect to go fishing on the first day of trout season and catch a fish. If you take away hatcheries, and take away stocking streams, we will loose fisherman and outdoorsman. I think for Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission need to take a better look at where their hatchery fish are going. We need to protect our native Brook streams and we need to protect the already established wild populations.
ReplyDeleteHi Chandler, I do agree with you on some points. It is true that the hatchery fish and native fish do differ. I wonder if the efforts can be focused more on habitat and trying to help the fish populations that way. I don't think that fish hatcheries should be completely done away with. It could be possible to separate the hatchery fish from the wildlife population as stocking fish is a big part in fishing that takes place which is important to many.
ReplyDeleteHello Chandler,
ReplyDeleteI beleive that there is a need for fish hatcheries. I think that in order to create a population that may even be temporary with a species that does not have a wild breeding population in place in a certain body of water anymore. I do believe that this may help the start of a species although they differ with native species. I do not feel that hatchery fish should be placed in a stream with wild spawning fish because of the differences and risk of disease.
Hello Chandler,
ReplyDeleteI agree so much with Taylor above, there is a need for fish hatcheries. WIthout fish hatcheries where do many of our fish we catch come from other than the natives. I enjoy catching trout throuhout the spring and summer and most of the time i catch stocked fish. I understand that stocked fish can have major impacts on native breeding populations of fish because they take all the food from the natives. Again i agree with Taylor above. I do not think they should stock fish in streams or water bodies where native fish have a steady and stable breeding population because the ultimate fish to catch is a native especially when there colors are so bright. But i do believe that hatcheries are needed.
Hey Chandler, I agree that there is a need for fish hatcheries. i enjoy catching both natives and stocked trout. most of the time i catch stocked trout because of where i fish. I do not think it is necessary to stock trout in native trout streams
ReplyDelete