FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2007

CONTACT:
Dave Bard, 202.486.4426

New Data on Escapes from Salmon Farms Reveals Magnitude of Global Problem

Research shows current salmon farming practices run contrary to organic label

WASHINGTON — On November 27, at an organic aquaculture symposium hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the Pure Salmon Campaign presented a paper [PDF] that provides, for the first time, an international inventory of reported escapes from open net cage salmon farms and calls for the U.S. to prohibit fish raised in open net cages from carrying the organic label.

The escape of millions of salmon from net cages every year has altered marine environments, coastal rivers and associated food chains around the world. Farmed salmon often compete with native wild salmon for food, habitat and mates.

As the NOSB attempts to label farmed salmon as organic, it is collecting data and input from scientists, academics, environmentalists, industry and other stakeholders. The Pure Salmon Campaign paper [PDF] addresses specific NOSB questions relating to the ecological impact of net cage fish farming systems and the current rate of escapes in both conventional aquaculture and emerging organic aquaculture industries abroad.

"This international inventory of escapes shows us that despite progressive policies, there is simply no way to prevent escapes from open net cages," said Rachel Hopkins, Pure Salmon Campaign representative and paper author. "These fugitive fish pose a major threat to the local marine ecosystem."

Key findings from the data show that:

• Between 2000 and 2006, at least 10.2 million farmed salmon and trout escaped from open net cages.
• Many major farmed salmon producing countries — such as Norway and Scotland — continue to report annual escapes in the thousands to millions, despite regulations aimed at controlling and eliminating escapes.
• Farmed salmon escapes have occurred within and surrounding marine protected areas, where wild salmon and other species are theoretically protected by national and international laws.
• Escapes present risks of increasing disease outbreaks, proliferating possible disease transmission routes in the environment and decreasing the immunity of wild fish to disease. Scientific research has linked open net cage salmon farms with sea lice infestations in native, wild salmon populations.

"Until we have proof that open net cage fish farms do not harm the ocean environment or the life within it, farmed fish including salmon should not be allowed to carry the coveted USDA organic label," said Andrea Kavanagh, director, Pure Salmon Campaign.

The lack of publicly available, official data on escapes from open net cage fish farming has hindered a comprehensive understanding of the rate of escapes globally. But, through Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests in Scotland, Norway, Chile, the U.S. and Australia, the Pure Salmon Campaign was able to obtain and compile previously confidential data on escapes from fish farms in those regions.

The data presented within this paper [PDF] is at best a very conservative estimate of farmed salmon escapes.

For more information on escapes, go to www.puresalmon.org/escapes.html and www.farmedsalmonexposed.org/global-statistics.html.

The Pure Salmon Campaign is a global project of the National Environmental Trust. It has partners in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Chile all working to improve the way salmon is produced.

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