Stocking fish in inland waters: Opportunities and risks for sustainable food systems

Cowx, Ian G.; Funge-Smith, Simon J.; Lynch, Abigail J.

Abstract

Stocking is one of the foremost tools in the inland fisheries management toolbox, but it comes with both opportunities and risks. Stocking is often used as compensation for depleted wild populations, particularly where recruitment processes have been disrupted, but it can introduce disease, disrupt community structures, reduce genetic integrity, and cause conflicts between fishery stakeholders. Despite its widespread use, examples of effective stocking for food fisheries in inland waters are sparse in the peer-reviewed literature. Nevertheless, it is well established that stocking is frequently used to maintain fish yield, so there is a need to conduct the practice in a robust manner that minimises the potential risks. This paper serves as the front matter for a special section of Fisheries Management and Ecology focused on fresh waters feeding the world, which resulted from two panel sessions, one focused on aquaculture and one focused on stocking, hosted by the international InFish research network (https://infish.org/). The paper highlights current practices of fish stock enhancement in inland waters for food, examines potential synergies and interactions of stock enhancement programmes with aquaculture, and provides an outline framework for responsible management of fish stock enhancement.

Citation

Cowx, I. G., Funge-Smith, S. J., & Lynch, A. J. (in press). Stocking fish in inland waters: Opportunities and risks for sustainable food systems. Fisheries Management and Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12656

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 15, 2023
• Deposit Date: Sep 22, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 16, 2024
• Journal: Fisheries Management and Ecology
• Print ISSN: 0969-997x
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12656
• Keywords: Aquaculture; Culture-based fisheries; Fisheries enhancement; Fisheries management; Habitat degradation
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4395724