Recent events concerning Atlantic salmon escapees in the Pacific

Abstract

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) escapees from commercial salmon farms in Washington State, USA, and British Columbia, Canada, arecaught in fisheries from Washington State to Alaska. A large escape from a farm near Cypress Island, Washington, was likely to have been the cause of increased abundance of Atlantic salmon in Juan de Fuca Strait and higher than average catches on the west coast of Vancouver Island during the summer of 1996. The catch of Atlantic salmon in Alaska in 1996 exceeded the sum of catches in all previous years. The number of escapees recorded in fresh water has been increasing, with more than 210 adult fish observed in 29 rivers in British Columbia during 1996. During the winter of 1995/1996, 39 Atlantic salmon were reported caught in the Salmon River on Vancouver Island. Analysis of the stomach contents of these fish indicated that some were feeding in fresh water.