April 27, 2006

Scientists to assess impact of farmed fish on environment

Scientists have released 700 farmed salmon in Scotland in an international experiment to track their movements. Fish used in this experiment have been tagged for easy identification to trace whether they would wind up in Norwegian rivers.

The experiment was mooted after Norway alleged that escaped farmed fish from Scotland may be breeding with their valuable wild salmon stocks.

The study, conducted by the Aberdeen based Fisheries Research Services, hopes to determine whether farmed salmon appearing in rivers in Norway originated from other countries with salmon farming industries.

Previous experiments in Norway have indicated that salmon released there do not enter the country's rivers.