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Question No. 2 



Currently, the hatcheries have better basic husbandry techniques and rearing technology 

 than have ever been available before. Fish diets yield better growth, more efficient utilization 

 of nutritional components, and less pollution than at any previous point in the history of fish 

 culture. Disease diagnosis and treatment is effective and new developments are accelerating 

 with the incorporation of molecular biological approaches. The major problem in this area is 

 the slow development and approval of disease treatment materials. Finally, although our water 

 resources are being more extensively utilized than ever before, there are a variety of treatment 

 technologies that assure adequate quantities of clean, well-oxygenated water. 



All of this technological know-how can provide assistance for the restoration of naturaUy- 

 reproducing populations of Pacific salmon. On the other hand, the major reason for its 

 development is the more efficient and effective mass production of salmon. A close analogy 

 can be drawn between these developments and those for the feedlot production of cattle, or for 

 the modem production of poultry. While not inherently negative, some of the motivations 

 behind these procedures are not necessarily compatible with the goals of restoration of 

 naturally-reproducing populations. Emphases in the mass production of any animals include 

 uniformity (both genetically and phenotypically), maximum efficiency, and standardization of 

 the product In comparison, effectiveness in restoration of natural populations should 

 emphasize genetic and phenotypic variability, perhaps some inefficiency, and variety in the end 

 product The conflict between the need to efficiently mass produce large numbers of Pacific 

 salmon and the biological requirements for the fish to be a viable part of the natural 

 environment has been one of the major problems and conflicts in the use of hatcheries. 



There has been some recent experimentation with alternative approaches to raising fish in a 

 hatchery environment that suggest some of the problems can be alleviated. A major criticism of 

 fish released from the hatchery is that they have developed an array of behavioral traits that do 

 not allow them to survive well in the natural environment Such behaviors as predator 

 avoidance, antagonistic responses to other fish, feeding habits, etc., are lost or altered with 

 standard hatchery practices. Alteration of feed dispersal methods and time of feeding, 

 decreases in fish density, rearing in a more natural surroundings, and "training" in the presence 

 of predators have all demonstrated the potential to yield fish more prepared to cope with the 

 natural environment In addition, the development of techniques to satisfactorily raise adult 

 salmon to maturity in marine net-pens has increased the potential to reproduce populations for 

 restoration purposes. While it will never be possible to raise an exact replica of a natural fish 

 under artificial conditions, initial results from research have revealed that some of the major 

 problems can be altered with relatively minor modifications of husbandry procedures. 



