Assessing the role of supplementation stocking: A perspective

• Published in: Fisheries management and ecology 2023-12, Vol.30 (6), p.583-591
• Main Authors: Claussen, Julie E., Philipp, David P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal population; Aquatic organisms; Aquatic populations; Biodiversity; Cultured organisms; Fish; Fish culture; Fish hatcheries; Fish populations; Fish reproduction; Fish stocking; Fisheries; Fisheries management; Fishery management; Habitat loss; Hatcheries; Overexploitation; Populations; Restocking; Stocking
• ISSN: 0969-997X; 1365-2400
• DOI: 10.1111/fme.12573

Although it is widely accepted that stocking hatchery‐cultured fish can increase the number of fish, decades of scientific evidence have shown that most often those stocking efforts fail to provide the desired “demographic boost” to a naturally reproducing, self‐sustaining target population. Despite this evidence, fish stocking remains a mainstay of fisheries management programmes, even as the biodiversity of wild fish populations and other aquatic organisms are at serious risk due to habitat loss and/or overexploitation across the globe. In this perspective piece, we summarise the reasons why wild and hatchery‐produced fish are not equivalent and describe the genetic and ecological risks associated with stocking programmes. We then present our perspective on the institutional changes that need to occur to assess these risks and offer ways to transition fisheries management strategies to become more effective in conserving levels of aquatic biodiversity from populations to landscapes. We propose that a critical first step to control ill‐conceived fish stocking programmes is to have each country develop, implement, and enforce a scientifically sound National Fish Stocking Policy. To achieve the long‐term sustainability of native fish populations, it is imperative that ecological and evolutionary principles be better integrated into future conservation strategies and management actions.