Fish farming destroying global wild salmon populations, claims new study

DRAMATIC declines in wild salmon populations are associated with exposure to farmed salmon, a new study has claimed.

The research, conducted by two Canadian marine biologists, claims to show dramatic declines in the abundance of wild salmon populations whose migration takes them past salmon farms in Canada, Ireland and Scotland.

Since the late 1970s, salmon aquaculture has grown into a global industry, producing over one million tonnes of salmon per year. However, this solution to globally declining fish stocks continues to face criticism from a number of environmental organisations and scientists.