You have to have a large number of fish in order to draw a general conclusion, says Rosenqvist. This research may well become significant for one of Norway's most important export industries - salmon. When you release hatchery salmon into the wild, the fish will often find it difficult to adjust, says Rosenqvist. The salmon may swim upstream either too early or too late, they may spawn at unfavourable times so that either their offspring will not mature or they mature too soon. As a result their behavioural patterns are disturbed, and a whole fishery nation is scratching its head about all the unproductive and confused salmon who lack even the faintest idea about how to behave in the wild.
Many species are subject to breeding programmes to ensure a large biological variety.
Rosenqvist explains that controlled mating within the programmes is determined exclusively on the basis of each animal's genes. This is often crucial to whether or not the animals will adapt to the wild. At worst such behavioural problems can have serious consequences for a complete eco-system, explains Rosenqvist.