Hatchery-raised steelhead trout have offspring that are good at gaining size under hatchery conditions but don’t survive as well in streams as steelhead whose parents are wild fish, new research by Oregon State University shows.
The results, published in PLOS One, suggest that it may be possible to change rearing methods to produce hatchery fish that are more like wild steelhead, which could help them survive better and also allay concerns about them mixing with wild populations, said OSU scientist Michael Blouin, who led the study…