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Hatcheries often produce bold fish that are maladapted to survive in the wild, as absence of predators and selection for fast growth tend to favour risk-taking behaviors. Not surprisingly, losses of hatchery fish through predation can be high immediately after release and this may account for the failure of many ex-situ fish conservation programmes. For supportive-breeding to be useful, it is essential that released fish are able to display natural behaviors. We compared the performance of juvenile Atlantic salmon reared in environmentally-enriched tanks receiving natural prey and subjected to simulated predator attacks with fish reared under standard hatchery conditions while keeping densities constant. No differences were detected between controls and environmentally enriched fish in survival, final size or nutritional status. Yet, changes in rearing conditions had rapid and marked effects on risk-taking behavior …