Principles of Salmonid Culture

W. Pennell, B.A. Barton

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Print ISBN:
  9780444821522
• eBook ISBN:
  9780080539669
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Marine Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

As salmonids have been reared for more than a century in many countries, one might expect that principles are well established and provide a solid foundation for salmonid aquaculture. Indeed, some of the methods used today in salmonid rearing are nearly identical to those employed one hundred years ago. Areas of salmonid research today include nutrition, smolt and stress physiology, genetics and biotechnology.The purpose of this book is to provide a useful synthesis of the biology and culture of salmonid fishes. The important practices in salmonid culture as well as the theory behind them is described. This volume will be of interest to students, researchers, fisheries biologists and managers as well as practising aquaculturists.

Chapter 1

History and Applications of Salmonid Culture

Lindsay M. Laird University of Aberdeen, Department of Zoology, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB9 2TN, Scotland, UK

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Salmon, trout and charr, belonging to the genera Oncorhynchus, Salmo and Salvelinus, are native fish of the cool waters of the northern hemisphere. All spawn in fresh water and many migrate to sea where growth is rapid because of the better availability of food.

The chief characteristics of the commercially important species of salmonids are reviewed by Laird and Needham (1988, 199;, and see Chapters 2 and 3 and Table 1). As well as their close biological relationship and ecological similarities the salmonids have a significant common feature: all are highly regarded as food for man and have been so since prehistoric times. Prehistoric paintings in France and North America clearly show salmonid fishes; the seasonal timing of the major salmon runs provided welcome food before the onset of winter. Certain milestones in the understanding of the biology of salmonid species can be identified. These have made possible the management and culture operations which we know today.

Table 1

Characteristics of the major commercially important salmonids.

Species	Common names	Native range	Time spent in sea water	Weight at maturity	Migration pattern at sea	Potential for farming
Salmo salar	Atlantic salmon ^aOuananich e ^aSebago ^aBlanklax ^aBlege	North Atlantic from New England to Ungava Bay on the west, Iceland, Greenland and from northern Portugal to the Kara Sea on the east	1 to 5 yrs	1 to 30 kg	Long distance migrations to mixed stock feeding grounds, e.g., west Greenland	Excellent. High commercial value, relatively easy to handle. Can be farmed outside native range, e.g., Tasmania, British Columbia
	^aSmablank
Salmo trutta	Sea trout ^abrown trout many local names for the “jack” form which spends only a few months at sea, eg. finnock, whitling, sewin	Sea-going forms are found in countries bordering the northeast Atlantic where maximum sea temperatures are < 21 °C	Few months to 3 yrs then 1 to 2 yrs between spawnings	300 g to 10 kg +	Coastal, feeding in shallow inshore waters and estuaries	Limited, mainly for stocking for leisure fishing
Oncorhynchus mykiss (formerly Salmo gairdneri)	steelhead ^arainbow trout Kamchatka trout	western North America from Mexico to the Bering Sea, Siberia	–< 1 yr to 4 yrs	200 g to 19 kg	Coastal or long distance migrations	Can be farmed in fresh water or in seawater installations similar to those used for Atlantic salmon but, in most sea sites, is less financially attractive
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha	pink salmon humpback, humpy karafuto-maru gorbuscha	East and west Pacific	Always 2 yrs	1 to 5 kg	Long distance elliptical migration route of over 300 km	Most abundant of all Pacific salmon in the wild. Fry migrate to sea soon after hatching, reducing rearing costs in ranching operations
Oncorhynchus keta	chum salmon dog, sake keta	East and west Pacific. Widest distribution of all the Pacific salmon species	3 to 4 yrs, 5 for Yukon chum	3.4 to 4 kg, 20 kg for Yukon chum	Long distance, several 3000 km circuits of the Pacific	Poor flesh colour and quality. Fry usually migrate to sea; this is exploited in the Japanese ranching program. Poor survival in cages
Oncorhynchus nerka	sockeye salmon red, blueback beni-masu nerka ^akokanee ^akikaninny ^alittle redfish	East and west Pacific in rivers with lakes in the system. Greatest numbers from Bristol Bay to the Columbia River in the east, Kamchatka in the west	3 yrs or more, males may mature as jacks	1 to 5 kg	Long distance except for jacks which remain in coastal waters	Good flesh colouration comes from the crustacean diet. Disease-prone in captivity. Spawning channels used to enhance natural stocks
Oncorhynchus kisutch	coho salmon silver gin-maru kizhuch	East and west Pacific from coastal California north to Norton Sound, Alaska. Hokkaido (rare) to the Anadyr River	2 yrs except for jacks	4 to 5 kg	Usually remains in coastal waters	Disease-free eggs are available, making this the preferred Pacific salmon for fanning in Japan, USA, Chile and Canada. Remains in the vicinity of net cages if released, providing a local sport fishery
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha	chinook salmon king, spring quinnat masunosuka chavycha	East and west Pacific, Ventura River California to Point Hope, Alaska. Hokkaido to the Anadyr River	1 to 5 yrs normally, 6 to 7 yrs for Yukon females	Avg. 10 kg maximum 55 kg	Coastal	Widely reared in fresh water for enhancement of depleted stocks in North America. Reared in cages in Canada, New Zealand and Chile
Oncorhynchus masou	masu, cherry yamame, sima	West Pacific, over the southern part of the range of the other Pacific salmon species	1 to 2 yrs, jacks < 1 year	Avg. 4 kg except for jacks	Coastal	Propagated in Japan to sustain natural stocks

(from Laird and Needham 1990)

^a Landlocked form

The earliest written mention of salmon is generally held to be by Pliny the Elder in Historia Naturalis, written in the 1st Century AD, where the name Salmo was used for the first time. The general pattern of the life history of the Atlantic salmon was known to Hector Boece, the first Principal of the University of Aberdeen who ...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright page
• Preface
• Special acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: History and Applications of Salmonid Culture
• Chapter 2: General Biology of Salmonids
• Chapter 3: Salmonid Life Histories
• Chapter 4: Broodstock Management
• Chapter 5: Gamete Removal, Fertilization and Incubation
• Chapter 6: Early Rearing
• Chapter 7: Growth of Salmonids
• Chapter 8: Smolt Production
• Chapter 9: Rearing Salmonids To Market Size In Marine Waters
• Chapter 10: Nutrition of Salmonids
• Chapter 11: Breeding and Genetics
• Chapter 12: Transportation and Handling
• Chapter 13: Salmonid Disease Management
• Chapter 14: Ocean ranching: An assessment
• Chapter 15: Marketing
• Chapter 16: Environmental Impacts of Salmonid Culture
• Chapter 17: Uses of Biotechnology to Enhance Production
• Index