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Research Hatchery

The tale of a river is often told by the life within it. Understanding how nature works in the wild can enable and empower those seeking to replicate it.
- Hal Hagen, President Aquatic Alternatives

In the mid eighties, Aquatic Alternatives began
conducting research
into how hatchery raised fish could impact wild populations in a
positive way.

"We began with the observation that there was no clear definition between
what aquaculture was as it related to agriculture, and aquaculture as it
related to wildlife and resource management."

We were keenly aware that hatchery raised fish stocked into public and private water could reduce the impact on remote wild populations of trout and provide a wonderful recreational experience for people. However, blanket stocking of trout throughout the west was also creating a homogenous population of trout and other potential problems.

This notion was reinforced with agriculture's growing concern that there was a lack of diversity in wheat and potato stocks throughout the world. The concern that a virulent pathogen could infect a staple food source world wide, because of the homogenous nature of these populations, caused many to search out native, isolated seed stocks. The hope is that in a worst-case scenario these plants could have a resistance factor not found in the more homogenized population.

Aquatic Alternatives started rebuilding its trout research hatchery with these ideas in mind. We studied spawning channels, resistance to environmental stressors, gabion baskets and rock matrix habitats, methods to improve recruitment and whirling disease.

Please click here to contact us for more information on our research findings and ask for a PDF version of our research summary.

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