SUSTAINABLE COEXISTENCE BETWEEN SALMON CULTURE AND COASTAL FISHERIES
Bjørn-Steinar Sæther*1, Ingebrigt Uglem2, Ørjan Karlsen3, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez4, Karl Øystein Gjelland1 and Pablo Arechavala-Lopez4
1) Nofima, 9291 Tromsø, Norway
2) Norwegian Institute of Nature Research, P.O.Box 5685 Sluppen, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
3) Institute of Marine Research, P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway
4) Dept. Marine Science and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
E-mail: bjorn-steinar.saether@nofima.no
Aquaculture and fisheries are significant industries that share the same resources and areas. As both industries are fundamental for coastal societies around the world, development of actions to promote a sustainable coexistence should be emphasized. The objective of the current study is to examine the interactions between salmon farming and wild marine fishes. Our results show that while salmon farms cover a limited area, they are highly attractive to a range of wild fish species, which aggregate in their immediate vicinity in large numbers. The constant supply of lost feed from cages is the primary mechanism for aggregation of wild fish. Wild fish aggregating at farms modify their diets, condition, tissue fatty-acid distributions and trace element composition. Changed diets might affect the reproductive potential of wild fish, as well as palatability, due to use of vegetable oils in the feed. Finally, farms may also affect natural migration patterns of wild fish and also change the susceptibility of some species to fishing. In the current talk our aim is to present new knowledge regarding interactions between salmon farming and wild marine fishes, and to discuss if and how it may be possible to develop positive and sustainable coexistence between the two industries that will reduce the environmental footprint of salmon farming.