Learn more about the solutions CAAR is working towards. What is CAARs position on ocean ranching?
Ocean ranching is the artificial propagation and release of juvenile fish to support future fishing opportunities. The term ocean ranching implies priority access to returning hatchery/enhanced fish, possibly including the use of relatively selective capture methods in terminal areas near where the salmon were released. Potential impacts of ocean ranching to aquatic ecosystems include: (1) competition with and predation of wild fish in the marine environment; (2) increased exploitation pressures on fish co-migrating with hatchery fish; (3) loss of genetic integrity and diversity of wild salmon (through interbreeding and harvest impacts); and (4) localized impacts from disease/parasites, exploiting mature adults for brood stock, and the physical impacts of the facility. In Alaska, where ocean ranching is commonly practiced, small fish are generally held in sea pens for only very short periods of time (compared to fish grown to market size in commercial scale finfish aquaculture operatio
