Premium
Performance of Instream Jordan–Scotty Salmon Egg Incubators Under Different Installation and Sedimentation Conditions
Author(s) -
Purchase Craig F.,
PalmFlawd Brittany,
Charron Louis
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1002/nafm.10052
Subject(s) - incubator , sedimentation , incubation , population , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , sediment , environmental science , paleontology , biochemistry , demography , sociology , microbiology and biotechnology
Fish stocking, in which natural populations are supplemented with progeny through some unnatural means, is widespread and takes many forms. Long‐term benefits of population viability are generally greatest when individuals are subjected to as little artificial rearing as possible. For salmonids, instream incubation enables embryo exposure to natural conditions during a critical developmental period. The Jordan–Scotty incubator is a new tool that facilitates the ability to conduct instream incubation on a semi‐large scale. However, the performance of this type of incubator is affected by sedimentation. We quantified sediment accumulation within Jordan–Scotty incubators when installed using four potential methods in a blocked design that eliminated confounding space–time variables. Although sediment accumulation was highly variable, there appeared to be no benefit in taking the extra effort to install the incubators under gravel as recommended by the manufacturer. Incubator exposure to streamflow can be achieved in several ways and reduces sedimentation. We recommend the use of pre‐installed plastic milk crates as incubator receptacles.