Has stocking contributed to an increase in the rod catch of anadromous trout (Salmo trutta L.) in the Shetland Islands, UK?
This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record The stocking of hatchery-origin fish into rivers and lakes has long been used in fisheries management to try to enhance catches, especially for trout and salmon species. Frequently, however, the long-term impac...
| Published in: | Journal of Fish Biology |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley / Fisheries Society of the British Isles
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/127352 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14784 |
| Summary: | This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record The stocking of hatchery-origin fish into rivers and lakes has long been used in fisheries management to try to enhance catches, especially for trout and salmon species. Frequently, however, the long-term impacts of stocking programmes have not been evaluated. In this study, the authors investigate the contribution of a stocking programme undertaken to support the rod catch of sea trout in the Shetland Islands, UK. Once a highly productive recreational fishery, Shetland sea trout catches crashed in the mid-1990s. Around the time that stocking began, increases in rod catches were also reported, with advocates of the stocking highlighting the apparent success of the programme. Using a suite of genetic markers (microsatellites), this study explores the contribution of the stocking programme to the Shetland sea trout population. The authors found that the domesticated broodstock and wild spawned brown trout from seven streams were genetically distinct. Despite extensive stocking, wild spawned brown trout dominated, even in those streams with a long history of supplementation. The majority of sea trout caught and analysed were of wild origin – only a single individual was of pure stocked origin, with a small number of fish being of wild × stocked origins. This study suggests that stocking with a domesticated strain of brown trout has made only a very limited contribution to the Shetland Islands rod catch, and that the revival of sea trout numbers appears to be driven almost exclusively by recovery of trout spawned in the wild. Atlantic Salmon Trust Marine Alliance Science Technology Scotland Scottish Funding Council/Research Grants Council Joint Research Scheme |
|---|