Numerical and Economic Contributions of Wild and Hatchery Pink Salmon to Commercial Catches in Japan Estimated from Mass Otolith Markings

• Published in: North American journal of fisheries management Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 598 - 604
• Main Authors: Ohnuki, Tsutomu, Morita, Kentaro, Tokuda, Hiroshi, Okamoto, Yasutaka, Ohkuma, Kazumasa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 01.06.2015
• Subjects: economic feasibility; ecosystems; fisheries; hatcheries; Oncorhynchus gorbuscha; otoliths; salmon; wild fish; Japan
• ISSN: 1548-8675; 1548-8675
• DOI: 10.1080/02755947.2015.1020078

Evaluating the contribution of wild and hatchery fish to a fishery is essential to understand economic feasibility as well as the impact of hatchery fish on the ecosystem. However, a precise estimate of this contribution is often difficult to obtain, particularly when hatchery and wild fish are mixed in the catch. In this study, we quantified the contribution of hatchery and wild Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha to the mixed-stock commercial fishery in Japan by identifying the ratio of otolith-marked hatchery fish to unmarked and presumably wild fish. The contribution of hatchery fish to the total coastal catch of Pink Salmon in Japan was estimated to be 16.6% and 26.4% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Thus, the majority of the commercial salmon catch originated from naturally spawned wild fish. Economic yield per release by Japanese hatcheries was 2.2 yen (¥2.2) (≈US$0.022) and ¥1.5 in 2011 and 2012. Received October 5, 2014; accepted February 7, 2015