Impact of Conservation- Based, Captive Rearing on the Performance of an Endangered Species, the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

As populations face declines on a global scale, the use of captive rearing as a means not only to maintain genetic diversity, but also to enhance performance and restore populations grows.   Captive rearing of aquatic organisms receives skepticism, and evidence of the impacts of domestication in even one generation continue to emerge.  Researchers and managers endeavor to limit the impacts of domestication and to maximize genetic diversity in endangered populations, but evidence on the impact of wild performance is limited.  We use an experimental approach to investigate the impact of varying numbers of generations of conservation-based, captive rearing on early life history divergence, and wild performance of Atlantic Canada’s endangered Atlantic Salmon. Results demonstrate a significant impact of the captive environment on key traits and even wild performance, but also provide insight into a means to improve performance.