ABSTRACT: The origin of fish propagation for population recovery dates back to the mid-1800s. Throughout the centuries to follow, fish hatcheries have been designed to focus on mass production. While previous criticisms of such mass production were founded on the basis of environmental harm – including nutrient pollution from fish waste, extirpation of native species by hatchery fish, disease, and the introduction of invasive species – fish hatchery management has entered a new era. Fish hatcheries are now shifting the production focus to enhance conservation and recovery programs of native fishes, in addition to sport fish production. HDR has constructed a tool to help guide management decisions for designing facilities surrounding such programs. Fish hatchery biological programming (“bioprogramming”) is a tool used to analyze biological questions and anticipate the fish rearing environments necessary to answer these questions. The process references fish culture specifications obtained from recognized fish culture manuals, established fish rearing facilities, and fish production managers. The modeling process anticipates fish growth, desired rearing space, and required flow and oxygen demands to produce healthy fish, making it a valuable tool for managing challenges and conflicts in fish hatchery design. It has been used to model and support recovery strategies for several fish species across North America, including Gila trout in Arizona, Pacific salmon species in Washington, coolwater fish in the Midwest, and salmonid species in Canada.
