Improving inland fisheries production

Fisheries enhancement involves activities designed to increase the size and numbers of fish available in inland waters. It is also used to conserve endangered species and to raise the productivity of particularly valuable fish stocks. Fisheries enhancement has become quite common throughout the world, especially in places where non-fishing activities have threatened or eliminated important species of fish or where simply more fish are desired.

There are several ways to enhance a fishery. Stocking, or adding fish to a body of water, can be done to increase supplies of fish. Stocking is also done to encourage the growth of favored species or to introduce new species in waters. When the fish that is being stocked in inland fisheries comes from an aquaculture hatchery, the practice is called culture-based fisheries. In some areas, juvenile or small adult fish are taken out of their natural waters and reared in fish ponds to which nutrients and fish food are added. The fish in these ponds are "farmed". It is possible to alter the fish genetically for example, by choosing the best fish to breed or by manipulating their chromosomes in order for example, to promote better growth or resistance to disease. Later, the farmed fish are harvested for food or released back into their native waters.

Natural fish populations can also be improved through traditional knowledge and practices such as placing brush or plants in water bodies. These practices are complex and usually based on established and accepted community values and beliefs. These practices are regarded as aquaculture if the fish that is stocked is accepted as owned by an individual or a group  i.e., the "growers" during the grow-out period until harvested  that is, the period that it takes for the fish to reach maturity ready for harvest . All these practices are parts of aquatic production systems in many parts of the world and they support food security and rural livelihoods. In addition to being stocked in natural waters or in aquaculture ponds, some species of fish are used for the ornamental fish trade. Rather than being used for food, these fish are sold for display, such as you see in gardens or aquariums.

Healthy population of fish lead to better diets and increased incomes for people living in fishing communities. However, enhancement activities can negatively affect natural fish supplies. Sometimes as new species are introduced, the original species die out. Most conservation efforts in areas where the environment has been changed by human activities concentrate on re-establishing "sustainability" of the resources that is, the ability to use the resources for a long period of time without causing damage to them Studies should be done on enhancement activities, and the introduction of inappropriate species should be avoided if the studies indicate that these activities are harmful.

All the Submitted articles are subjected to peer-review process prior to its publication to maintain the quality and the significance of the journal. The published articles are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication.

The journal constitutes its Editorial-Board comprising of scholars from all over the world that may be instrumental in offering their critical views on the latest developments in the Fisheries Research.

Journal of Fisheries Research welcomes submissions via Online Submission System

www.scholarscentral.org/submission/fisheries-research.html

Anna D Parker

Journal Manager

Journal of Fisheries Research

Email: fisheriesres@emedscholar.com