salmon advice needed.

[GeoHri]

Has anyone tryed to breed this type of a fish or has a experience with it?I would like to breed it but I need someone to help me out.Any comment will be helpfull.

Thanks in advance

[Chrispy]

well you asked a lot. First off do you already have them and if so what size are they are approx. how old are they. Finally what are they being held in. Also what type.

If you havnt got them yet i advise against it. they will require a lot to breed. in thie rlife to go from fresh to salt to fresh. but f your up for a challenge pleas answer the questions. even if you plan on getting them.

[gemjunkie]

The challenges of switching types of water are one thing, but salmon get HUGE, have you seen the salmon fillets at the market? I don't think anyone has the fascilities to accomodate such a large fish.

[Chrispy]

well it is possible. the smallest salmon would get about 18 inches. and water peramiters mean nothing unless they are hatch lings. even then its not a lot. water temp is nothing. i would say that if you really want to bread them for food or for pets. Get a swimming pool. the fish will be fine outside as long as doesnt freeze.

[Clerk]

It is more complicated then that... We have salmon at my zoo, they are in a 6-10k system. They do not breed.

At least a thousand gallons would be required to house this fish normally, and most species would require several thousand. Not to mention in most of the U.S possession of game fish is illegal. As well as many salmon are protected by Federal Law.

So I would recommend forget it, and move on.

[GeoHri]

I would like to breed fresh water salmon which does not need salt water.I am not sure which type was that......I know breeding is very complicated but it is possible.

[Chrispy]

umm, i think they are both. salmon are freshwater and go to the ocean when they began to mature and then return to fresh water to spawn. maybe you should think of trout. i think there is one type of lake salmon, but i dont know much about that. my knowledge is fishing and eating them

[GeoHri]

I appreciate your help but does anyone know some company which is involved with lake salmon breeding or where I can look for one?They should be able to answer my questions.

Thanks

[Clerk]

You are wasting your time. There are some species of land locked salmonoids, but unless you have several thousand dollars just burning a hole in your pocket all you will be doing is killing them.

Rule 1, what state are you. Chances are keeping game fish is illegal... and you would have to pay for a permit, IF you pass the state regulations.

[redpaulhus]

And even in state run fish hatcheries, they don't just "breed salmon" - trout and salmon culture is labor and money intensive and often requires the use of almost impossible to get pituitary hormones (unless you want to wait for the right seasonal cues to breed the fish).

A quick google search on salmon culture got me 643,000 results. Number one on the list is http://aquanic.org/beginer/trout/trout.htm -- which has a number of useful links, including :
"What Do I Need To Get Started In Trout Farming?"
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/copubs/ag/aqua/trout/003/

Which is a pretty good primer of the basics.

3rd on the google results was this link:
http://content.cdlib.org/dynaxml/ser...cId=kt438n99wc
even though it is an older text (1969 I think) it covers the details well - from the concepts of manually stripping the adults of eggs and milt, to the use of raceways or troughs for fry growout.

The standard California hatchery trough is 16 feet long, 16 inches wide, and 7½ inches deep, inside measurements, with a gradient of one inch in 16 feet, and when operated with a 5-inch outlet plug contains roughly 64 gallons of water. The flow through the troughs varies among hatcheries and depends on the temperature and number of eggs or fish being carried in the troughs. On the average, troughs in California hatcheries, regardless of whether they are installed singly or in tandem, receive from 12 to 15 gallons of water per minute. It is intended that the oxygen content be maintained at not less than 7 p.p.m.

Florida Tech used to offer a good 4-year degree in finfish aquaculture, and while they don't specifically focus on salmonid culture (its too hot in Florida), the basics learned there in terms of oxygen usage vs temp, stocking density, system design, and pathology all could be applied to salmonid culture.