Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyS
The great thing about hatcheries is genetics. They take any sperm and add it to any egg. It got so bad the hatchery produced salmon are so weak they can't even swim upstream to spawn. In nature the strong mate with the strong.
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Andy, The hatchery production of southern flounder has been going on for at least ten years. Over the years, the biologists have taken genetics into consideration. The fry are released when they are only a few inches long but before they are set free, the weak or deformed are culled leaving only the stronger fish to be stocked. They also release the flounder when they are fry so they can adapt and grow. To Dakota's point, the fluke have to first be hatched and then be able to move inshore to grow. Those fry need healthy estuaries and fewer predators while they grow big enough to head offshore. Maybe some studies need to be done to examine what other factors affect the fluke population besides harvest numbers.
One last point, speaking of predators, I've been told by a few biologists that the seal population which has exploded in Sandy Hook Bay during the winter has been targeting flounder. Once the bunker and herring appear in the bay, the seals turn toward that oil and protein rich forage. How many flounder are eaten during the winter is only conjecture but the seals are phenomenal predators and they have to eat. Just something to think about.
