Danubian Salmon (Hucho Hucho) Tagging Program
Brief Hucho Hucho Overview:
Danubian salmon (Hucho hucho) is a salmonid species which lives only in the rivers of the Danube River System. One of the largest salmonid species, it can grow more than 1.5 m (4.92 feet) and it can weight more than 25kg (55 pounds). A close relative of the Mongolian Taimen, the Hucho Hucho is not well known within the fishing community.
A relatively healthy Hucho Hucho population exists within Slovenia, but little is known about the exact numbers of fish inhabiting local waters. In the past decade, the Fisheries Research Institute has mastered the production of Hucho Hucho in the hatchery (with eggs taken from the wild population while spawning), increasing the numbers of fish in many river systems. Fishing for danubian salmon is very strictly regulated and there is a limited catch of fish per river. Upon landing a fish, sex, length, and weight must be reported.
Hucho Hucho Tagging Project:
This program has two main objectives:
1) Tag all hatchery raised Hucho Hucho that are stocked in rivers and tag wild fish that are caught on spawning beds.
The program is designed to begin tagging on all waters managed by the Fisheries Research Institute and gradually expand the tagging program to all of the rivers in Slovenia.
2) Track tagged fish to learn more about migration habits, growth rates between fish in different bodies of water and determine if the populations encounter migrational problems in relation to dams or other obstructions.
The Fisheries Research Institute will create a web page containing data about tagged fish. Fishermen will be encouraged to submit information on this web page in relation to fish that are landed.
This program was written by Miha Ivanc of the Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia
