The techniques of artificial incubation and releasing of salmon is what enables us to see salmon returning to the rivers of Japan today.
The process of incubation and release.
*Capturing the salmon.
September to December. In order to receive the eggs, salmon are carefully captured alive.
*Taking out the eggs/ insemination.
Ripe eggs are taken out of females and inseminated with sperms from the males. The inseminated eggs are then quietly placed in water.
*Accommodation.
The extremely fragile eggs are brought to be incubated in containers with water (8 degrees Celsius in the case of Hokkaido spring water) .
*Environment control for the fry.
Once the eggs are hatched, the fry are placed in the controlled environment (light, oxygen, water temperature) of a quiet fish farm.
*Releasing.
When they reach the size of about 4-5cm, weighing about 1g, and conditions of the river and ocean are right, it is time to release the fry.