
Is Bigger Better for Hatchery Chinook Salmon?
This multi-year study changed the distribution of biomass within hatchery units, comparing Big(ger fish)-Low(er density) with Small-High biomass distributions.
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This multi-year study changed the distribution of biomass within hatchery units, comparing Big(ger fish)-Low(er density) with Small-High biomass distributions.

This study looked at Black Crappie survival after release, and assessed depth at catch and handling time impacts on survival. Fish caught at depths less than 6.5 m exhibited few barotrauma symptoms, while fish caught at depths equal to or greater than 6.5 m most often did.

Fish that migrate within a tight period of calendar days might be responding to photoperiod, and then they could be encountering non-optimal water volumes or temperatures. The opposite was also observed, with some species migrating earlier in the year, likely responding to climate-induced changes to water temperature regimes.

The publication looks at the impact of habitat addition, termed environmental enrichment in the paper, on the health and welfare of salmon in aquaculture facilities.

They assessed Red Snapper CPUE across a variety of habitat types, natural and artificial. Their work showed once again how important habitat is to fish populations, and habitats such as oil and gas platforms and artificial reefs are vitally important to these fish.

The article provides a proof of concept regarding open ocean aquaculture of these surfclams. Climate change is affecting the viability of marine aquaculture in nearshore environments, so moving some marine aquaculture offshore helps mitigate the impact of temperature swings that are detrimental to certain species.

Today’s paper was published in Fisheries in January 2025, and is a perspective piece touching on the state of the technology, catch rates, catch composition, catchability, tournaments, and ethics

Today’s paper from Marine and Coastal Fisheries looks back at strong Striped Bass year classes from the 1980s, and compared current larval feeding assessments back to studies from that time.

This experiment ran alongside of work being done by Iowa DNR and Iowa State University on Walleye and Musky escapement from reservoirs. To address the appropriate spacing for a parallel bar fish barrier, this experiment was devised and executed.

The research presented here compared diets using menhaden (traditional) with diets containing invasive carp as the source of fish oil and fish meal. The results were very promising, great potential for a fisheries win!