Farmed salmon escape may have a ‘devastating impact’

There are fears that a significant farmed salmon escape could have a “devastating impact” on wild salmon stocks in Mayo waterways.

There was a substantial release of farmed salmon earlier this month from a cage in Killary Harbour on the Galway/Mayo border.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) said it believed the escaped farmed salmon “pose a significant risk to wild Atlantic salmon populations” as wild salmon in the nearby Erriff and Bundorragha rivers are currently returning to their river of origin to spawn.

“A very significant number of farmed salmon are now in the marine environment and could travel up these rivers. The wild salmon of each river are unique genetically. IFI is concerned that interbreeding with farmed salmon could compromise the genetic integrity of the local salmon population, which could impact their resilience in the long term,” it added.

An estimated 10,000 to 30,000 farmed salmon escaped from the facility operated by Mannin Bay Salmon Company on August 11th. The company confirmed that divers discovered a tear on one of their nets on a routine dive. By last Wednesday, 10 escapees had been caught on the Erriff River, four on the Kylemore and two on the Delphi.

IFI said it continues to monitor for any escaped fish at local rivers, as well as at its research trapping facilities in the National Salmonid Index Catchment at River Erriff in Mayo.

“The nearby Erriff and Delphi (Bundorragha) wild salmon and sea trout stocks, in particular, have been negatively impacted over a long period by sea lice associated with salmon farming.

“If local anglers catch farmed salmon, a blue salmon gill tag must be placed in the fish and this can be replaced by IFI when surrendered to staff,” stated IFI Galway Bay Against Salon Cages (GBASC). It warned the escape could have “a devastating impact on the Erriff and Delphi rivers flowing into Killary Harbour and other nearby rivers, such as Kylemore River, Clifden River, Culfin River and Ballynahinch River, if these escapees are not recaptured”.

GBASC said some of the farmed salmon have entered local rivers and that a number have been caught by tourists fishing for mackerel.

The organisation voiced concern that no public statement was issued by the Department of Agriculture or IFI until this week, and labelled the incident an “environmental disaster”.