Greetings Dr. Lynny Sneddon,
    I have a question about your posting and mention of 'recent evidence' of
farmed fish having detrimental effects on wild stocks.  I have seen some of
this evidence, but had not come across any mentioning increased
aggressiveness as a factor.  It makes sense, but could you please send me
any references you have on that topic?

    I have just recently begun investigating this topic for a graduate
school project on salmon aquaculture impacts.

Thanks, Aaron Tinker
School of Marine Affairs
University of Washington



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>From: Lynne Sneddon <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: PhD Studentship
>Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 02:17
>

> PhD Studentship at the University of Edinburgh
>
> Supervisors: Dr Victoria Braithwaite & Dr Lynne Sneddon
>
>
>
> Improving the welfare of farmed and wild fish
>
>
> A common practice to enhance recreational and commercial fisheries is the
> release of hatchery reared fish into streams, rivers and lakes. Typically
> very large numbers of these released fish die. More surprisingly, however,
> recent evidence is now suggesting that the increased size and aggressiveness
> of the surviving hatchery reared fish is having detrimental effects on the
> natural wild populations.  Hatchery reared fish are forced, through their
> rearing conditions, to become aggressive competitors and work has recently
> found that natural wild fish can be out-competed and forced out of their
> home territory by hatchery fish.
>
> The goals of this studentship will be to determine whether simple, cost
> effective alterations to existing practises can improve the welfare of both
> the hatchery and the natural wild populations of fish.:
> · Improve the ability of the hatchery fish to survive when released.
> · Produce hatchery fish with lower aggressiveness.
> · Determine whether these hatchery reared fish would be less of a threat to
> natural wild populations.
>
> The alterations to the hatchery rearing conditions will need to be simple
> and cost effective if they are to be adopted by fisheries.  To try to
> increase survivorship, experiments will be designed where brown trout (a
> fish commonly reared in hatcheries and used to enhance, preserve or
> re-establish threatened populations) will be reared under a range of
> environmental conditions to expose them to variable substrates and levels of
> flow. It has been suggested that hatchery fish frequently select
> unfavourable habitats and perish through an inability to find sufficient
> food. If the fish are given the opportunity to learn basic facts about
> variable environment this should increase their survivorship. Work will also
> determine whether different feeding regimes, such as unpredictable feeding
> times and multiple feeding locations will reduce the aggressiveness of
> hatchery fish.
> Fish reared under these different types of condition will be behaviourally
> screened to compare their aggressiveness and competitive ability with wild
> caught trout.  Finally, such reared fish will be released into natural
> systems and their survivorship and growth rate (weight gain) will be
> compared with regularly hatchery reared and wild fish.
>
> For more information about the Institute of Cell Animal and Population
> Biology see: http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/icapb/icapb.html. If you are
> interested in the proposed research please send a covering letter outlining
> why you are attracted to this area and a CV (with two named referees) to Dr
> Victoria Braithwaite, ICAPB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh University, West
> Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH9 3JT. E-mail: [log in to unmask]  CLOSING DATE
> FEBRUARY 11th 1999.
>
> A successful candidate will be expected to start in October 2000 and will
> either be funded by a UFAW scholarship (~£12,600 rising to ~£14,900) or a
> BBSRC Case studentship (~£6,600pa rising to ~£7,100).
>
> Lynne U. Sneddon,
> Animal Welfare Research Group,
> Roslin Institute,
> Roslin,
> Midlothian EH25 9PS
> U.K.
> Tel. No. +44 (0)131 527 4200
> Fax      +44 (0)131 440 0434
> E-mail [log in to unmask]
>
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