Escaped salmon threaten wild Atlantic stocks

Saboteurs have slashed five cages in a salmon farm in New Brunswick, Canada and released thousands of farm-bred fish. This villainous act can jeopardise the few remaining wild Atlantic salmon in North America. This is a nightmarish situation. Farmed fish are bred for fast growth, but have lost many key genetic characteristics and usually do not survive at sea. This is spawning time for local wild salmon. Salmon hatch in rivers and streams, then spend one or two years in the ocean, returning to their native streams to spawn. Unlike Pacific salmon, Atlantic salmon do not die after spawning, but return annually for a number of years to spawn again.