Inland Fisheries Ireland has issued an alert over Pacific pink salmon in Irish rivers.
Anglers and members of the public are being urged to report any sightings of the species over the coming months.
In 2017, 2019 and 2021 the non-native Pacific pink salmon unexpectedly appeared in unprecedented numbers in multiple river systems in the southwest, west and northwest of Ireland.
As the species predominantly have a two-year lifecycle, there is potential for the species to reappear in Irish rivers again this year and every second, so called ‘odd’, year thereafter.
Dr Michael Millane, Senior Research Officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland has warned that the presence of large numbers of the non-native fish potentially poses a competitive threat to the survival of Ireland’s native species such as Atlantic salmon and sea trout, as well as estuarine and coastal marine fish species – and their associated ecosystems.
Anyone who spots a Pacific pink salmon to photograph the fish, retain the salmon and don’t put it back into the water, record the date and location of capture, and the length/weight of the fish, tag it and present it to IFI staff.
