Roughly 75,000 farmed Atlantic salmon escaped into the wild after Storm Amy damaged a fish-farming pen at Mowi Scotland’s Gorsten site in Loch Linnhe.

 

 

 

The breach likely occurred when storm-displaced mooring anchors dragged the pen into contact with a flotation pipe, tearing the net. Mowi has launched an investigation and alerted authorities and local stakeholders. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the most significant escape from a Scottish salmon farm since mid-2022. In past incidents, tens of thousands of fish were lost from sites such as Colonsay and Grey Horse Channel. Mowi also reported related escapes in Norway—though on a far smaller scale—underscoring the storm’s severity across its operations. 

 

 

 

Scientists and conservationists warn that escapees may interbreed with wild salmon, diluting genetic integrity, introducing diseases, and upsetting ecosystem balance. They stress that even a single event of this magnitude could have lasting ecological consequences. The company asserts it adheres to high welfare and containment standards and is committed to understanding how the failure occurred. 

 

 

 

 

The incident reignites debate over open-net pen farming in exposed marine environments. Critics say the industry must adopt stronger containment technologies, stricter regulation, and more transparent reporting to protect vulnerable wild stocks. 

 

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

1. Scale of escape is significant – ~75,000 farmed salmon lost from Mowi’s Gorsten farm during Storm Amy, the largest Scottish event since 2022.

 

 

2. Ecological risks high – Potential interbreeding, disease transmission, and genetic dilution threaten wild salmon populations.

 

 

3. Calls for reform – The breach spotlights the urgency for stricter farming practices, better containment, and regulatory oversight.

 

 

Adapted From 

 

https://theconversation.com/almost-75-000-farmed-salmon-in-scotland-escaped-into-the-wild-after-storm-amy-why-this-may-cause-lasting-damage-267354

 

 

21 minutes ago, Bacon1 said:

Critics say the industry must adopt stronger containment technologies, stricter regulation, and more transparent reporting to protect vulnerable wild stocks. 

Totally agree with that.

56 minutes ago, Bacon1 said:

Scientists and conservationists warn that escapees may interbreed with wild salmon, diluting genetic integrity, introducing diseases, and upsetting ecosystem balance. They stress that even a single event of this magnitude could have lasting ecological consequences.

probably very expensive for us but will the company pay anything?

One sees abundant farmed Atlantic salmon, fed with antibiotics, hormones and colour at every grocers' worldwide. The colour is added to give the salmon that appealing orange colour, however, the big veins of fat betray their origin. Without colour, these fish would be trout-white.

 

Real, wild salmon have to work for their food--hardly any fat on them. Alaska does not permit salmon-farming. All salmon from Alaska are wild-sourced. Yes, they're more expensive. If too expensive for you, go to another protein source; vegetarian or vegan are good choices.

 

Farmed salmon are exposed to PCBs and dioxins, carcinogenic and mutagenic in humans. Due to overcrowding, these fish are infested with sealice. When inevitable escapes occur, these contaminants and diseases infect the wild population. They're the factory farms of the oceans. The only solution is on-land containment. Talk bout overpopulation!

 

Yes, farmed salmon reduce the pressure on wild salmon (so the rest of us can eat real salmon) but are not healthy for humans. The oceans are dying, due to overfishing and global warming. Get used to it. Capitalist corporados never consider our children and grandchildren, only profit.

 

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2022/06/farmed-salmon-just-as-toxic-to-human-health-as-junk-food/

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1257546/

 

https://healyeatsreal.com/farmed-salmon-dangers/

 

 

 

1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

One sees abundant farmed Atlantic salmon, fed with antibiotics, hormones and colour at every grocers' worldwide. The colour is added to give the salmon that appealing orange colour, however, the big veins of fat betray their origin. Without colour, these fish would be trout-white.

 

Real, wild salmon have to work for their food--hardly any fat on them. Alaska does not permit salmon-farming. All salmon from Alaska are wild-sourced. Yes, they're more expensive. If too expensive for you, go to another protein source; vegetarian or vegan are good choices.

 

Farmed salmon are exposed to PCBs and dioxins, carcinogenic and mutagenic in humans. Due to overcrowding, these fish are infested with sealice. When inevitable escapes occur, these contaminants and diseases infect the wild population. They're the factory farms of the oceans. The only solution is on-land containment. Talk bout overpopulation!

 

Yes, farmed salmon reduce the pressure on wild salmon (so the rest of us can eat real salmon) but are not healthy for humans. The oceans are dying, due to overfishing and global warming. Get used to it. Capitalist corporados never consider our children and grandchildren, only profit.

 

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2022/06/farmed-salmon-just-as-toxic-to-human-health-as-junk-food/

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1257546/

 

https://healyeatsreal.com/farmed-salmon-dangers/

 

 

 

Unfortunately i have to agree.

 

Sounds a bit fishy.....insurance job maybe?

For those readers who have not spent time in coastal areas where salmon is abundant, here are the various salmon species. Many consider Springs (Chinook in Yank), a large salmon which gives up after racing the line, tops. Sockeye can only be caught by net in rivers, the brightest red anbd best flavour, IMO. Coho (Silvers) don't require a boat; they can be caught by surf-casting with a lure. They love to leap at sunset but no one has discovered why.

 

Pinks are considered a lower grade of salmon because its flesh is not as firm. Nevertheless, pinks and sockeye are the fish most commonly canned. There there's the lowly dog salmon, so called because of their long incisors. Dog salmon have been rehabilitated as food fish in Alaska by called them keta salmon.

 

At the very bottom of my list. If my first post didn't turn you off farmed Atlantic salmon, you'll have to taste how oily this fish is. Yuck.

 

Be sure to thank each salmon you eat. They're fundamental to the web of life. 

I do not eat farmed salmon