Rigorous monitoring of a large-scale marine stock enhancement program demonstrates the need for comprehensive management of fisheries and nursery habitat.

ABSTRACT: Release of captively-bred individuals into the wild is one of the most popular tools in fisheries, forestry, and wildlife management, and introgression of hatchery-reared animals into wild populations is of global concern. However, research and monitoring of impacts on wild populations are generally lacking, and the benefit of hatcheries for long-term fisheries and conservation goals is unclear. Using spatio-temporal genetic monitoring and a four-dacade time series of catch data, we quantified the effects on the size and genetic diversity of wild populations of one of the world's largest marine stock enhancement programs-the red sea bream (Pagrus major) in Kagoshima Bay, Japan. Our analyses found that the stock enhancement program reduced genetic diversity of the population, but the geneti

SUBMITTER: Kitada S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6437203 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature