Abstract
The results of two experiments showed that observation of a trained conspecific Atlantic salmon Salmo salar significantly increased the rate at which naïve hatchery-reared fish accepted novel, live prey items, whereas the presence of an untrained conspecific actually decreased learning rates due to social inhibition. Pre-release training involving exposure of hatchery-reared fish to live prey items in the presence of pre-trained demonstrators would result in a significant enhancement in their foraging success on release and help prevent starvation, which is thought to be one of the principal causes of post-release mortality in hatchery-reared fishes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 987-998 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Fish Biology |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Atlantic salmon
- Foraging
- Hatchery
- Inhibition
- Social enhancement