A Scientific Consensus On Salmon Stocking

1
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Cn 27-28 november ln Clasgow uk, Lhe ALlanLlc Salmon 1rusL supporLed a conference on ALlanLlc
salmon (!"#$% '"#"() sLocklng sponsored by l8lS, a Luropean funded collaboraLlon beLween Lhe
Loughs Agency, unlverslLy of Clasgow and Cueen's unlverslLy 8elfasL (l8lS 2013). As an ouLpuL from
LhaL conference, Lhe organlsers have publlshed a documenL, '1o sLock or noL Lo sLock', whlch
summarlses Lhe advlce on sLocklng from varlous salmon managemenL organlsaLlons. ln supporL of
LhaL documenL, Lhls paper summarlses whaL Lhe auLhors belleve accuraLely reflecLs Lhe currenL
sclenLlflc consensus on salmon sLocklng.
We have wrlLLen Lhls paper for flsherles pollcy makers and managers who may noL be
famlllar wlLh Lhe relevanL sclenLlflc Lermlnology, concepLs and evldence. lL presenLs our consensus
vlew of Lhe currenL sclenLlflc undersLandlng of sLocklng ln a serles of brlef sLaLemenLs, uslng non-
Lechnlcal language as far as posslble (see )*+,-,.,%-').
1he followlng sLaLemenLs are lnformed noL only by research on ALlanLlc salmon, buL also by
research on oLher ecologlcally slmllar salmonlds. 1he sLaLemenLs are sufflclenLly general Lo ofLen
apply Lo Lhe sLocklng of Lhese specles as well. We recognlse LhaL uncerLalnLy remalns around speclflc
sclenLlflc quesLlons relaLed Lo sLocklng. 1he complexlLy of salmonld ecology and llfe hlsLorles, Lhe
dlverslLy of hablLaLs and sLocklng programmes, and Lhe dlfflculLy ln sLudylng long-llved organlsms
LhaL spend Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhelr llves aL sea, all conLrlbuLe Lo Lhls uncerLalnLy. We do noL belleve,
however, LhaL currenL areas of uncerLalnLy preclude sLaLlng Lhe followlng evldence-based prlnclples.

8emovlng adulL salmon from Lhe naLural envlronmenL, breedlng Lhem ln capLlvlLy, and
sLocklng Lhelr haLchery-reared offsprlng lnLo Lhe naLural envlronmenL can, buL does noL
always, lncrease Lhe number of adulLs Lhey conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe nexL generaLlon. 1he neL
demographlc ouLcome of sLocklng depends on Lhe balance beLween Lhe hlgher survlval raLes
experlenced by flsh ln capLlvlLy, and Lhe subsequenLly lower survlval raLes of sLocked flsh
relaLlve Lo wlld flsh of Lhe same age.
PaLchery flsh LhaL survlve Lo reproduce as adulLs ln Lhe naLural envlronmenL, wheLher
Lhrough maLlng wlLh oLher haLchery flsh or wlld flsh, Lyplcally produce fewer adulLs ln
subsequenL generaLlons Lhan do wlld flsh, and Lhls dlfference ls more pronounced where
permanenL haLchery llnes or non-naLlve flsh are used for sLocklng.
SLocklng may Lhus lncrease Lhe number of adulLs ln a populaLlon Lemporarlly, buL ls llkely Lo
reduce Lhe longer-Lerm producLlvlLy of Lhe populaLlon.
SLocklng poses a rlsk Lo wlld salmon populaLlons Lhrough a varleLy of ecologlcal and
evoluLlonary mechanlsms, such as lncreased compeLlLlon for food and lnLerbreedlng
beLween haLchery and wlld flsh.
1he rlsk Lo wlld populaLlons ls scale-dependenL. 1he more haLchery flsh LhaL are sLocked and
Lhe hlgher Lhe raLlo of haLchery Lo wlld flsh ln Lhe naLural envlronmenL, Lhe greaLer Lhe rlsk
Lo Lhe wlld populaLlon.
1he lmpacL of sLocklng on Lhe geneLlc make-up of a salmon populaLlon depends ln parL on
Lhe Lype of broodsLock used. Some lmpacLs can be mlnlmlsed by uslng wlld naLlve
broodsLock (l.e. same populaLlon) bred and reared uslng besL pracLlce. Powever, even ln Lhls
case geneLlc changes can occur due Lo Lhe absence of sexual selecLlon (l.e. crosses are
arLlflclally produced LhaL would noL happen ln Lhe wlld), and relaxed selecLlon ln Lhe
haLchery envlronmenL, whlch may lead Lo domesLlcaLlon.
lollowlng Lhe cessaLlon of sLocklng, Lhe lnLegrlLy of a wlld populaLlon ls llkely Lo recover over
Llme. Powever, ln some cases sLocklng may lead Lo permanenL changes ln Lhe geneLlc
composlLlon of a populaLlon, whlch may affecL populaLlon producLlvlLy.
2

Where Lhe lnLegrlLy of wlld salmon ls a managemenL prlorlLy, sLocklng haLchery flsh lnLo wlld
populaLlons ls unllkely Lo conLrlbuLe Lo managemenL ob[ecLlves.
Where a populaLlon ls aL lmmlnenL rlsk of exLlncLlon, and all approprlaLe and posslble flshery
managemenL and hablLaL resLoraLlon lnLervenLlons have been reallsed, Llme-llmlLed sLocklng
may be approprlaLe Lo rescue Lhe populaLlon. 1haL ls, when local exLlncLlon ls lmmlnenL, Lhe
beneflL of a shorL-Lerm lncrease ln adulL abundance may ouLwelgh Lhe rlsk of long-Lerm
damage.
Where Lhe lnLegrlLy of wlld salmon ls -%. a managemenL prlorlLy, sLocklng may supporL
flsherles by produclng adulLs for capLure or harvesL. ln such lnsLances, however, some
sLocked flsh wlll lnevlLably sLray Lo nelghbourlng populaLlons, whlch may have dlfferenL
managemenL ob[ecLlves. lL ls lmporLanL Lo appreclaLe and assess Lhls rlsk.
1he cosLs, beneflLs and lmpacLs of a sLocklng programme on wlld populaLlons can only be
assessed wlLh well-planned monlLorlng programmes. Such monlLorlng ls an lmporLanL parL
of all sLocklng acLlvlLles.
Sclence alone does noL deLermlne Lhe role of sLocklng ln salmon managemenL. Soclal,
pollLlcal and economlc facLors all lnfluence flsherles managemenL declslons.

J&)%'%(%*'#
K%-6 refers Lo flsh whose enLlre llfe, from Lhe ferLlllsaLlon of eggs Lo deaLh, occurs ln Lhe
naLural envlronmenL ln Lhe absence of dlrecL human lnLervenLlon. lnLervenLlon ln Lhls
conLexL lncludes Lhe dlrecL and lndlrecL effecLs of sLocklng, e.g. when haLchery flsh survlve Lo
reproduce ln Lhe naLural envlronmenL, Lhelr offsprlng are noL wlld. 1hls deflnlLlon does noL
sLrlcLly depend on hablLaL quallLy or sLocklng hlsLory. Wlld salmon can be presenL ln severely
degraded 'non-wlld' rlvers and ln rlvers currenLly or hlsLorlcally sub[ecLed Lo sLocklng.
>,($>&82 refers Lo flsh LhaL have spenL some porLlon of Lhelr llfe (from ferLlllsaLlon) ln
capLlvlLy, wlLhouL regard Lo Lhe duraLlon of Llme spenL ln, or Lhe naLuralness of, LhaL capLlve
envlronmenL.
#(*$/%'0 refers Lo Lhe acL of placlng haLchery eggs or flsh ln Lhe naLural envlronmenL.
=*=+-,(%*' refers Lo a group of lnLerbreedlng salmon whlch ls Lo some degree geneLlcally
dlsLlncL from oLher such groups. lor example, a rlver's salmon sLock mlghL conLaln mulLlple
populaLlons LhaL spawn aL dlfferenL Llmes or locaLlons wlLhln Lhe same caLchmenL.
=8*6+$(%F%(2 refers Lo a populaLlon's capaclLy Lo grow ln slze.
%'(&08%(2 refers Lo Lhe degree Lo whlch a wlld salmon populaLlon lnLeracLs naLurally wlLh Lhe
envlronmenL and oLher specles sharlng aquaLlc ecosysLems.

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