FEASIBILITY OF HADDOCK (MELANOGRAMMUS AEGLEFINUS) CULTURE

A SEVERE DECLINE IN LANDINGS OF HADDOCK (MELANOGRAMMUS AEGLEFINUS) IN THE NORTHEASTERN U.S. HAS RESULTED IN PRICES SIMILAR TO THOSE OF SALMON AND MARKET RELIANCE ON IMPORTS. THIS CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HADDOCK CULTURE IN MAINE UTILIZING THE FACILITIES ALREADY IN PLACE FOR SALMON AQUACULTURE. PHASE I WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE HADDOCK IS SUITABLE FOR NET-PEN CULTURE BY ATTEMPTING TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 1. IS THE GROWTH RATE OF HADDOCK ON ARTIFICIAL DIETS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF SALMONIDS? 2. ARE MODIFIED SALMONID NET-PENS SUITABLE FOR REARING HADDOCK? 3. CAN HADDOCK AND SALMONIDS BE REARED TOGETHER IN A POLYCULTURE SYSTEM? IF THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS ARE FAVORABLE, PHASE II WOULD INCLUDE SPAWNING AND LARVAL REARING. PHASE III WOULD BE THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF JUVENILES FOR GROW-OUT OR STOCK ENHANCEMENT. ADULT HADDOCK WILL BE CAPTURED DURING SPRING 1990 AND TRANSPORTED TO MODIFIED SALMON NET-PENS IN EASTPORT, MAINE. THERE GROWTH ON DIFFERENT DIETS WILL BE MEASURED AND ADAPTION TO THE NET-PENS AND INTERACTION WITH SALMON ASSESSED. PRODUCTION OF HADDOCK IN MAINE WOULD ALLOW NET-PEN GROWERS TO COMPETE WITH THOSE IN EUROPE, WHERE COMMERCIAL CULTURE OF OTHER WHITEFISH IS LIKELY IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. MAINE-GROWN HADDOCK COULD PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE CURRENT IMPORTS OF WILD HADDOCK FROM ICELAND AND CANADA.