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January 2011- Atlantic salmon
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Article Content
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| Invasive Species of the Month |
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Photo credit to Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife
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Invasive Species of the month Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
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| What? |
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Atlantic Salmon are native to eastern North American coastal drainages from northern Quebec to the Housatonic River, Connecticut; inland to Lake Ontario, where they are now extinct (though restoration efforts are ongoing). They also are native to Europe. The growth of the farmed Atlantic salmon industry in the past 20 years has severely impacted the West Coast commercial salmon industry by driving down prices and shifting the market share. Concerns regarding Atlantic salmon effects on wild salmon stocks include disease transfer, pollution from net pen facilities and ecological impacts from escaped salmon. A major concern in recent years has been the potential impact on wild salmon stocks of sea lice (Lepeophtheirus sp.) originating from net pens in British Columbia. Sea lice can kill juvenile fish, even at low infestation levels. Atlantic salmon that have escaped from hatcheries show up as adults in commercial and recreational catches in Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.
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| Where? |
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The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks Atlantic salmon in Hosmer and East Lakes in the Cascades, as these are "closed" systems with no water outlets. Atlantic salmon is not farm raised off the Oregon coast or stocked anywhere else in the State of Oregon. Atlantic salmon are raised along the Washington and British Columbia coasts; escapes from these aquaculture operations concern fishery biologists and others working to restore native Pacific NW salmon runs.
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| Lookalike |
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The key distinguishing feature of Atlantic salmon is the black spots on the bill covers and back, but no black spots on the tail. Atlantic salmon also have black x-shape spots above the lateral line, a slender or pinched caudal fin, and 8- 12 rays of the anal fin. Native Pacific Northwest salmon have 11-13 anal rays.
Photo credit- Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife
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| What can you do? |
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Be on the lookout for this fish, and please report suspected invaders online at http://oregoninvasiveshotline.org/ or call the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-INVADER (1-866-468-2337), this number is toll free.
If you catch an Atlantic salmon (except for Hosmer and East Lakes in the Oregon Cascades), please keep the fish and report it. Do not clean the fish in any water body.
Never move live fish from one water body to another. It is a violation of Oregon state law.
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