Oceans Are Becoming Overcrowded, Salmon In Danger, B.C Scientists Fear Worst

Salmon fry

The wild salmon of the North Pacific are becoming fewer in number as they are being forced to fight for their food and rapidly declining living space, as billions of farmed salmon are being released into the oceans every year, a study by researchers out of B.C. and Washington State explains.

The concern is coming from the fact that the salmon populations, mainly of the sockeye, pink and chum variety, across the Pacific Rim is much higher than usual.

“The total number of salmon out there is at an all-time high, in fact, the abundance is about double what it was in the 1950s,” commented a fisheries management scientist at Simon Fraser University, Randall Peterman, who is also a co-author of the newly published report.

Releasing a huge amount of artificially grown salmon to help and supply a food fishery is detrimental to the native salmon, he explains. “Hatchery fish have been causing deterioration in the wild population for some time.”

“The fact is that hatchery fish from one nation can influence the health of salmon stocks in another nation,” Peterman explains. The amount that these hatcheries release, especially in Alaska and Japan, has reached a level of an astounding five billion salmon a year and it’s continuing to increase. Which means that the salmon are under imminent threat.

First it’s overfishing, now it’s over fish releasing? Well I have an answer for you boys, grab the frying pan, it’s time for a fish fry…