Alert over pacific salmon in Irish rivers

Alert over Pacific pink salmon in Irish rivers. Inland Fisheries Ireland is urging anglers, and the general public, to report sightings of Pacific pink salmon in Irish rivers over the coming months. In 2017, 2019 and 2021 this non-native fish species unexpectedly appeared in unprecedented numbers in multiple river systems in the southwest, west and northwest of Ireland. As Pacific pink salmon predominantly have a two-year lifecycle, there is potential for the species to reappear in Irish rivers again this year and every second, so called ‘odd’, year thereafter. Commenting on the issue Dr Michael Millane, Senior Research Officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) said: “The presence of large numbers of this non-native species potentially pose a competitive threat to the survival of our native species such as Atlantic salmon and sea trout, as well as estuarine and coastal marine fish species – and their associated ecosystems. “There is potential for the reappearance of pink salmon in ...