Fish stocking

Fish stocking is the deliberate release of juvenile fish into a body of water to support harvest production, restore populations, or manage fisheries.

Hatchery: A facility where fish or other aquatic animals are bred and raised under controlled conditions. Hatcheries produce many juveniles released through stocking programs.
Put-and-take fishery: A fishery sustained by regularly releasing catchable fish for harvest. This is a direct production use of stocking, often in heavily fished waters.
Genetic pollution: The spread of maladaptive or nonlocal genetic material into a population through interbreeding. Hatchery fish can alter the genetic composition of wild populations that they reproduce with.
Natural recruitment: The addition of young organisms to a population through natural reproduction and survival. Successful natural recruitment can meet management goals without releasing hatchery fish.
Fish stocking density: The number of fish released or maintained per unit area or volume of water. Release density shapes competition, growth, and survival after stocking.
Stock enhancement: The release of hatchery-reared fish to increase the abundance of an existing wild population. Enhancement aims to raise harvest or population size without replacing the wild stock.
Invasive species: A non-native organism that spreads and causes ecological, economic, or other harm. Stocking can establish introduced fish that become invasive in receiving waters.
Habitat restoration: The repair of ecological conditions that support native organisms and ecosystem processes. Improving spawning and nursery habitat addresses causes of decline rather than adding fish.
Acclimation: The gradual adjustment of an organism to new environmental conditions. Acclimating hatchery fish can reduce stress during transfer to a release site.
Species reintroduction: The return of a species to part of its former range after local disappearance. Stocking can supply individuals for reintroduction where natural recolonization is unlikely.

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