Salmon and Fish Farms
A new study shows that fish farms are a threat to some populations of wild salmon. Sea lice outbreaks in farmed salmon threaten local populations of wild salmon that swim nearby. Some scientists believe that it could lead to extinction of the wild species.
The researchers site the growth of fish farming off British Columbia to losses in young wild salmon. The number of fish farms in the area has increased dramatically.
Sea lice commonly kill more than eighty percent of pink salmon in the areas studied. Almost seventy-five percent of the salmon that Americans eat comes from fish farms. Could salmon in the Great Lakes be at risk?
January 22, 2008 9:19 AM | Category: Fish