Fisheries managers!
Want to produce bigger stronger fish that are better equipped to survive in the wild? Try the brand-new striped bass aerobic fitness program! If that sounds like a "Saturday Night Live" ad spoof, think again.
California Sea Grant researcher Cincin Young, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California-Davis, recently completed a study to determine if regular exercise could improve the survival rate of young striped bass.
"I thought that perhaps the striped bass raised in hatcheries were not conditioned well enough for the harsh environment," Young said. "I thought if we exercised them, they might be able to swim better, catch their prey and escape predators more easily."
To exercise the fish, Young set up submersible pumps in the hatchery tanks, forcing the fish to swim against a continuous current for 60 days, except during feeding and tank cleaning.
Young said exercise conditioning improved the swimming performance, growth, muscle development and stress responses of both hatchery-raised and wild young striped bass. Significantly, the effects persisted eight weeks after the program ended.
"If exercise improves survival in striped bass, then stocked bass would contribute more to the fishery, as well as increase the number of spawners to enhance natural reproduction," Young said.
While Young's research did not involve releasing the exercised bass into the wild, some other studies have shown that exercise-conditioned salmon and trout fare better in the wild.
Despite these results, hatcheries have not yet applied the strategy to their operations. But that may soon change, according to Harry Westers, former head of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources fish hatchery program and now a consul tant specializing in bioengineering fish production facilities.
Current research in this area does not yet support the extra cost and engineering that would be necessary to enable large-scale hatcheries to exercise fish, Westers said.
"But that's not to say the idea has no value," he emphasized. "The research is promising and the whole idea makes sense intuitively. What's needed now are carefully designed studies that follow the success of these fish in the wild."
- Laurence Wiland
Great Lakes Research Conference
Great Lakes region elementary and middle school teachers will gather in June in Milwaukee to study oceanography and coastal processes, and develop ways to pass this knowledge on to their students. The 12-day program, called Operation Pathfinder, will target teachers who are members of a minority or teach in schools with minority populations.
The International Association for Great Lakes Research will hold the 38th Conference on Great Lakes Research May 28-June 1, 1995, at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University.
Environmental and natural science researchers will exchange research applicable to the large lakes of the world and to the communities surrounding them. More than 25 symposia are scheduled, covering such topics as risk assessment, atmospheric processes, wetlands research, contaminated sediments and exotic species.
For further information, contact conference hosts David Long, FAX (517) 353-8787, email: 14790dtl@msu.edu; John Giesy, FAX (517) 423-1699, email: 16990gny@msu.edu; or the International Association for Great Lakes Research, phone (313) 747-1673.
Reporting on Risk: A Journalist's Handbook on Environmental Risk Assessment is now available to help non-scientists understand and evaluate environmental health risks. The 114-page handbook, which was produced by Michigan Sea Grant, explains basic risk assessment concepts, defines technical terms, provides real-life examples and lists additional information sources.
Pre-paid orders may be sent to Michigan Sea Grant Communications, 2200 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, phone (313) 764-1138. The single book price is $8.00; an order of 10 or more reduces the cost to $5.00 per book. Pre-paid orders may be sent to Michigan Sea Grant Communications, 2200 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, phone (313) 764-1138. The single book price is $8.00; an order of 10 or more reduces the cost to $5.00 per book.
To be added to the mailing list, contact:
Linda Campbell / Communications Office
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Drive
Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1103, U.S.A.
Telephone (608) 263-3259
FAX (608) 262-0591
or email us at lecampbe@seagrant.wisc.edu
This page created April 1995
Last updated 21 December 1995. T. Yao and J. Eischens
All contents copyright 1995 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Designed by Tina Yao tlyao@seagrant.wisc.edu