|
|||||
|
|
A pilot study of the performance of captive-reared delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus in a semi-natural environment |
|
| Authors: | Tien-Chieh Hung Marlin Rosales Tomofumi Kurobe Troy Stevenson Luke Ellison Galen Tigan Marade Sandford Chelsea Lam Andrew Schultz Swee Teh |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, California, USA;2. Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA;3. Mid-Pacific Region, Bay-Delta Office, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Sacramento, California, USA |
| Abstract: | A captive breeding programme was developed in 2008 for delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus in reaction to dramatic population decline over several decades. We took 526 sub-adult captive-reared delta smelt and cultured them for 200 days without providing artificial food or water quality management to assess their performance once released in the wild. The results indicated captive-reared sub-adult delta smelt could survive in a semi-natural environment with uncontrolled water quality and naturally produced wild prey through spawning and into their post spawning phase. |
| Keywords: | captive delta smelt refuge population reintroduction semi-natural environment |