According to a Marine Harvest press release 40,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from their pens in Port Elizabeth in Knight Inlet on Oct. 21. Two days later commercial fishermen were catching them 40 km away.
I examined 20 Atlantics caught on the north shore of Malcolm Island and one had a salmon smolt in it’s stomach. There are not many salmon smolts in the area at this time of year so it was surprising this Atlantic managed to find and consume one in only two days out of the farm. This picture shows the partly digested salmon smolt from this male 8 pound Atlantic salmon 
When 1,000s of wild salmon, herring and blackcod juveniles get lured into fish farms by the lights and food, it is hard to imagine the farm salmon don’t eat them.
Comments
7 responses to “Escaped Atlantics caught by gill-netters 40 km away”
Another theory gone up in smoke!! Looks like the farmed salmon immediately revert to their wild state of NOMADS and OPPORTUNISTIC HUNTERS. It was always felt on the East coast that the escapees hang around the pens waiting for their human captors to ring the dinner bell and provide lunch. I am very surprised that these mature fish were not headed up a fresh water system to spawn. The wild stocks are on the gravel bars here right now!! Perhaps the waters of the Pacific are now cold enough yet to trigger spawning?
although they are large 8-13 pounds, they were very immature. We are watching the rivers though.
Do we have permission to use these photographs to spread what has happened? Facebook etc… If so do we need to credit the photographer?
Great Work!
I am the photographer and anyone is free to use them
The behaviour of both the DFO and the fish farm industry in BC is nothing less than cavalier.
As far as I can tell, the DFO has delegated responsibility for operation and oversight of biosecurity protocols to the fish farmers themselves with no evidence, as far as I can tell, of any responsible independent oversight. Where are the independent aquatic veterinarians?
If the risks presented by escape of farm fish attract minimal, and transparent regulatory actions by the DFO and the farm industry, how can we ordinary citizens have any confidence that the DFO and the fish farm industry in BC, use their delegated powers responsibly?
Biosecurity is a two way street. If the regulators are ineffectual on dealing with fish escape matters, they are just as likely to be ineffectual on assessing and handling genesis and spread of farm fish viruses and disease.
A dignified silence by the DFO may look good to their political masters but is a corrosive element in public acceptance of DFO credibility.
Organizations are generally judged by results. In this case (DFO), non-results.
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I’m new to your site, and relatively new to this issue, so my question might seem ignorant, but here goes. Have any of these escaped Atlantics spawned in Northwest streams? If so, what has been documented so far? I’m a middle school science teacher, and we are exploring the farmed salmon industry as one our environmental issues topics.
Ken
There has not been a of work looking for juvenile Atlantics but they have been found in the Tsitika River in Johnstone Strait. Dr. John Volpe at the University of Victoria has done work on this.