The Fuentes del Narcea fishing association and the Principality of Asturias have launched a new initiative to restock the Narcea River. Instead of releasing thousands of fingerlings, as had been the practice , they released 104 nearly two-year-old trout. The aim is to see if these captive-bred specimens can adapt and reproduce in the wild. The trial took place in the river's headwaters, between Monasterio de Hermo and Gedrez, in Cangas del Narcea.
The environmental protection officers conducted a preliminary survey to identify the trout already inhabiting that section of the river. The 104 released trout have been tagged for identification during subsequent monitoring. The regional government indicates that similar trials are being carried out in other Asturian rivers to evaluate different restocking methods.
A focus on older specimens
The main novelty of this release is the age of the trout. Normally, fry were released , but this time 18-month-old specimens, raised in captivity at the Villajur fish hatchery, were used. Santiago Traviesa, coordinator of the Natural Environment rangers, explains that they will return to the area in a year to see how these trout have integrated with the existing population and what percentage has settled. In the preliminary sampling, they found 16 fish of the same size as those introduced.
Traviesa emphasizes that restocking serves a dual purpose: introducing new breeding stock to the river and increasing the trout population for sport fishing. The coordinator reiterates that the ultimate goal of restocking is sport fishing. The association, for its part, insists that they always work closely with the game wardens to contribute something positive to the river, not just to take a photo with a bucket full of trout , Román Herrero underlines.
Doubts about the effectiveness of the fry
The Fuentes del Narcea fishing association has long questioned the results of traditional restocking programs. Román Herrero, the association's president , doubts the effectiveness of releasing fingerlings. According to data from the Regional Ministry, five million trout fingerlings have been released into Asturian rivers over the last ten years. Herrero believes the rivers should be teeming with trout, but the reality is quite different. Therefore, he suggests that either the restocking method is flawed or the rivers have some underlying problem.
The president of the association believes it would be interesting to determine whether trout raised in captivity for generations retain their natural spawning instinct. If they do, it would increase the trout population in the river . This question is what prompted the study with older specimens.
Santiago Traviesa provides another piece of information: the tests carried out in different rivers in Asturias yielded contributions de peces that oscillate between five and 28 percentThese variable results reflect the complexity of repopulation and the need for further research.
A three-year follow-up
In order to assess the evolution of these 104 trout, The repopulated section will be closed to fishing.A count will be taken in one year. de peces More specimens, which will be three years old at that time, will be added. The idea is to repeat this work for a third year to obtain more robust conclusions. This release is the beginning of a study that is planned to be repeated in the same area in the coming years, with even older trout.
The Environmental Protection Service reports that the Regional Ministry is conducting trials with different restocking methods in Asturian rivers. The ultimate goal is to improve fisheries management and ensure the sustainability of trout populations. Collaboration between the administration and fishing associations is considered key to achieving this.
This project represents a shift in approach to trout restocking . Instead of focusing on the quantity of fry, it uses older specimens and assesses their adaptation. Doubts about the effectiveness of traditional methods and the need for reliable data have led to the design of a multi-year monitoring program. The results of this study could influence future management policies for Asturian rivers.