Reference |
Blankenship H. Lee and Kenneth M. Leber, 1995. A Responsible Approach to Marine Stock Enhancement. American Fisheries Society Symposium 15: 167-175. |
Abstract |
Declining marine fish populations worldwide have rekindled an interest in marine fish enhancement. Recent technological advances in fish tagging and marine fish culture provide a basis for successful hatchery-based marine enhancement. To ensure success and avoid repeating mistakes, we must take a responsible approach to developing, evaluating, and managing marine stock enhancement programs. A responsible-approach concept with several key components is described. Each component is considered essential to control and optimize enhancement. The components include the need to (1) prioritize and select target species for enhancement; (2) develop a species management plan that identifies harvest opportunity, stock rebuilding goals, and genetic objectives; (3) define quantitative measures of success; (4) use genetic resource management to avoid deleterious genetic effects: (5) use disease and health management; (6) consider ecological, biological, and life-history patterns when forming enhancement objectives and tactics; (7) identify released hatchery fish and assess stocking effects; (8) use an empirical process for defining optimum release strategies; (9) identify economic and policy guidelines; and (10) use adaptive management. Developing case studies with Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, red drum Sciaenops ocellatus, striped mullet Mugil cephalus, and white seabass Atractoscion nobilis are used to verify that the responsible approach to marine stock enhancement is practical and can work. |
Tag |
Coded Wire Tag (CWT) |
Objective |
Evaluate stocking programs |
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