INLAND FISHERIES IRELAND has said farmed salmon have been caught in rivers in Galway and Mayo following an escape of farmed salmon at Killary Harbour in Co Galway.

While IFI said the “lack of clearly identifiable markers on the salmon sampled limits the ability to link salmon with specific farms”, a spokesperson added that “IFI is not aware of other farmed salmon escape events in recent years in Ireland”.

Various organisations, including Salmon Watch Ireland and Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages, were informed of a “major escape of farmed salmon” from Killary Harbour on 11 August.

However, Mannin Bay Salmon Company, which operates Killary Harbour, told The Journal that the escape happened on or after 12 August.

Mannin Bay Salmon Company also claimed that the “number that escaped was insignificant” but Salmon Watch Ireland estimated that around 10,000 salmon escaped from the cage and that large numbers could be seen in the harbour.

Meanwhile, Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages said the figure of 10,000 was its lowest estimate and that the number could be as large as 30,000. 

IFI – the State environment agency responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving Ireland’s inland fisheries – previously said it was not formally notified of the salmon escape at Killary Harbour within the mandatory 24-hour period.

IFI also remarked that escaped farmed salmon are detrimental to wild salmon stocks through interbreeding, which can impact the health and diversity of wild salmon populations.

The state agency added that it “remains concerned about the impacts of salmon farming, including such issues as escapes and sea lice on our wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout stocks”.

In a statement today, IFI said it believes the escaped farmed Salmon from Killary Harbour “pose a significant risk to wild Atlantic salmon populations in Galway and Mayo”.

IFI added that it engages with local fishery owners and anglers to identify and sample escaped farmed salmon where possible, “with a core focus on protecting wild salmon and avoiding their accidental removal”.

However, it remarked that identification of farmed salmon, which are now mixing among wild stocks, can be challenging due to the lack of clear markers identifying farmed fish. 

IFI has identified farmed salmon caught from the Rivers Erriff, Dawros, Bundorragha (Delphi) and Owenmore in Co. Mayo, as well as the Corrib River in Co. Galway.

The IFI spokesperson said “it is possible that these fish may continue to appear in rivers throughout the wider region of the escape” and that IFI continues to monitor for any escaped fish, including at its research trapping facilities in the National Salmonid Index Catchment the River Erriff.

The National Salmonid Index Catchment comprises the Erriff Catchment and Killary Harbour area, with research activities further extending out into the adjacent marine zone.

The spokesperson reminded anglers to remain vigilant and report any suspected fish to IFI on its 24/7 number – 0818 34 74 24.

Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages (GBASC) has said one of the farmed salmon which was caught by a local angler was “very thin and slatty looking, with lesions on its body”.

GBASC said the issue is “environmental disaster (that) is no longer just a concern for the Connemara area, it is now of national concern with so many rivers along the West coast being affected”.

GBASC chairperson Billy Smyth has also called for “all farmed salmon smolts to be micro tagged before being transferred to sea cages so that when escaped farmed salmon are captured in rivers, they can be traced back to their farm of origin and sanctions imposed”.

A smolt is a young salmon that is moving from freshwater to the ocean. 

Mannin Bay Salmon Company and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have been approached for comment.