NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard Chimes in on NH Hatchery Updates/Expansion
“New Hampshire is far too reliant on hatcheries, does too much stocking over wild fish, and does too little to protect wild native species,” said Bob Mallard, executive director of Native Fish Coalition. “Increasing hatchery capacity is likely to only make it worse.”
NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard was quoted in an article written by Amanda Gokee for New Hampshire Bulletin, that also ran in other publications. The article covered the recent designation of COVID relief money to address hatchery effluent in New Hampshire to get their hatcheries back online.
“But stocking fish comes at a cost. Mallard said it has wreaked havoc on wild native fish, suppressing natural reproduction and potentially introducing disease, viruses, and parasites. Because the fish raised in hatcheries are larger than wild fish, they become an apex predator, outcompeting and eating juvenile wild fish, Mallard said. ”