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Published online 4 October 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2007.145

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Hatcheries may not save endangered fish

A single generation in captivity cuts reproductive success in the wild.

Breeding a species in captivity offers a strategy to save threatened populations, but a new study with steelhead trout shows that even a few generations of domestication can hinder the reproductive success of these animals in the wild.

Every year, fish hatcheries release more than 5 billion juvenile salmon and steelhead trout in the Pacific Northwest, primarily for harvest purposes.

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