Natural or Hatchery Bred....
OK!!! I chose to post this under the Salmon/Steelhead Forum to get maximum affect. It could've just as easily gone into the Trout Forum but the result wouldn't have been anywhere near as interesting.
Before I finish the balance of this post, I must confess that I'm trolling to stir things up but, here it comes, this troll is based on an article that appears in the latest issue of American Angler magazine and might be applied to Salmon/Steelhead as well.
On page 51, there's an article about upper mid-west trout fishing titled, "The Holdovers." On the last page of this article is a discussion box in which the author tries to make the case that, "....hatchery-raised, stocked trout have virtually no impact on wild fish."This based on a recent study conducted by the Idaho Game and Fish agency. Some points from that study:
- "Stocked waters showed no difference in abundance, growth rates, or survival than those in unstocked streams."
- "Stocked trout have high mortality rates.... They just don't last long enough to have much of an impact."
The author also cites a study conducted by a biologist at Washington & Lee University that examined genetic makeup of trout in 3 streams that have both hatchery and naturally reproducing Brook Trout in them. The professor said, "Of the 98 fish tested, only 4 showed genetic mixing." The trout tested came from streams that have been stocked for 20 years.
Controversial???? Maybe. It does seem to fly in the face of a lot of other recently developed info....
SOooo,.... En garde!!!!
"America is a country which produces citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote."
Author unknown
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