RE: NANFA-- Speaking announcement for John Volpe (Atlantic

Bruce Stallsmith (fundulus_at_hotmail.com)
Thu, 10 Oct 2002 11:11:08 -0400

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Actually, people ARE farming Atlantic salmon around the North Atlantic, from
Maine to the Canadian Maritimes to the British Isles and especially Norway.
Even farming a native species has problems, because the farm stock is
genetically homogenous and almost always different from local river runs.
Because native salmon populations have been badly reduced, there's a major
threat of local populations being genetically swamped by farm escapees. The
local populations are genetically distinct from each other through
adaptation to local conditions, so a large evolutionary heritage is
disappearing. And I haven't even mentioned local problems from the
production of concentrated salmon poop in stationary pens in bays (hint:
tides DON'T flush it out).

--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A

>Now you may ask why they aren't farming Atlantic Salmon in the Atlantic...?
>It
>goes back to what you've said.. It's who has the money and influence.
>There
>really isn't a commercial fishery for Atlantic Salmon the way there is for
>Pacific Salmon. And some enterprising individuals who were tired of the
>regulation on their profits in the west, decided they'd just grow their
>own.
>Unfortunately, the Atlantic Salmon's habits/physiological needs are more
>condusive to farming them, and so that's what they chose to go with to
>maximize profitability.
>
>Todd
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