First Global Study Finds Fish Farms Detrimental to Wild Salmon Populations” FISSTA has welcomed the latest scientific report confirming once again the detrimental fallout to our wild salmon and marine environment, not just in Ireland but globally. ÔÇ£These findings come at an opportune time when Governmental policies are being reviewed by a governmental committee from departments of Natural Resources and Fisheries and we certainly hope the eradication of sealice and pollution will be made a priority for the first time in Ireland by this new administrationÔÇØ said Noel Carr National Secretary of the Federation of Irish Salmon and Seatrout Anglers. Wild salmon populations generally decline in rivers where fish farms exist, according to the first global assessment of how aquaculture impacts on wild salmon. The study found that in rivers where juveniles passed by fish farms during migration, the number of wild salmon surviving and returning to spawn decreased by 50 percent or greater, on average, when compared to similar rivers with no fish farms. The study, funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program, was published today in the online journal PLoS Biology, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal produced by the Public Library of Science. “This report is the first global assessment of the impacts of fish farms on wild salmon populations, and the results are startling,” said Jennifer Ford, lead author of the study. “The findings from our analyses varied in different regions, but by combining them, we see that there is a negative impact on wild salmon that is highly significant.” Press release in full here. More details including a summary report on the paper with details from Canada, Ireland and Scotland here. A scientific paper – “A Global Assessment of Salmon Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmonids” – published today by the Public Library of Science (Biology) is being picked up now via several media outlets including Canadian Press (see below). View the paper – “A Global Assessment of Salmon Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmonids“