Salmon Escapes worse than feared – NRK

The latest figures from Linga Salmon Thursday. Previously it was said that up to 30,000 salmon could have escaped.

The figure was thus even higher. Stein Byrkjeland, assistant miljøvernsjef in the County that they are buzzed anglers who want to fish for salmon. Linga Salmon pay 200 kroner per salmon catches up.

– But they must fish with a rod. Yarn is not legal, it gets only Linga Salmon even do, says Byrkjeland.

The reason is that one is afraid that the fishermen should also take wild salmon in nets.

– must be labeled

Norwegian owners of salmon rivers now believe that labeling of farmed salmon is the only right thing to do.

using tagging will be able to quickly detect farmed salmon, find out where it comes from and whom it has escaped from. But farmers argue, among other things the cost of labeling.

– It is very effective, and the technology is there, says communications manager in Norwegian salmon rivers, Pål Mugaas.

On Thursday night escaped salmon from Linga Salmon their farms in the Hardangerfjord, and recapture fishing is in full swing in the rivers.

– We think it’s a tragedy, it is not the first time the escaping fish in Hardangerfjord. It is a particularly vulnerable area with very much farming, says Mugaas.

What they fear is that the fish that are left, will go up the rivers in Hardanger when fall comes and mix with wild salmon spawning ground. The genetic influence could destroy salmon stocks.

Only one third is unaffected

Recently, 104 wild objects studied, where only a third of these were unaffected by farmed salmon. And in Hardangerfjord are going badly.

– We have clear measurements that in Hardangerfjorden already occurred significant interbreeding with farmed salmon in wild salmon populations, says research leader at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (Nina), Kjetil Hindar.

– When escaping additional fishing in the Hardanger Fjord, it will mean an increased burden on these tribes, he said.

the fish are to spawn in the autumn

The fish that escaped from Linga salmon, was around 4 kg and soon ready for harvest. Hindar think it could mean that the fish has swum so far.

– When the fish is four kilograms or more, it suggests that this is salmon that will be sexually mature in years and will spawn in the fall. As experience shows that fish will escape at this stage tend to end up in the rivers nearby, says Hindar.

Etne river is protected

Etne river, which has previously been very exposed to farmed salmon, have a defense. At the bottom of the river stands a fish trap, so that one can distinguish farmed fish.

– But that’s because the river in Etne experienced an extreme pressure of farmed salmon in the past, and therefore this trap set up explains Mugaas.

He believes the smaller rivers in the Hardanger Fjord is more vulnerable.

– in many rivers fished there, since it comes as little wild there. Thus, there is also very little supervision of what happens in the rivers, and where will the farmed salmon that escape, have free rein, he said.