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Atlantic Salmon in the Pacific

Ocean: What’s the Catch?

Nathan Blasco, M.Sc.

Freshwater Aquaculture Biologist

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The Atlantic Salmon Watch Program 1991-today.

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Presentation Overview

• General Introduction

• Atlantic Salmon Watch Program

(ASWP) 1991-2003

• ASWP 2011-2012

• ASWP 2017-current

• Potential Environmental Effects of

Escaped farmed Atlantic Salmon

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Distribution of Fish Farms in BC

Taken from

http://bcsalmonfarmers.ca/news-

releases-media-contact/photos/

Taken from

https://www.akvagroup.com/Down

loads/CAGE%20EN%2011_08%2

02017.pdf

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from http://www.oldsalmon.ca/about_salmon.php

Fall Winter Spring Summer

Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

Breeding Outmigration of Juveniles

Atlantic Salmon- Life History and Range

0 0 0 0

66509546

9000

62809

51883

131377472

80975

35954

31855

55167

11257

30

43969

21 17

19223

111769

48857

27024

12 8 0 20 2 23 9 130

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Reported Number of Escaped Atlantic Salmon in BC

Escaped Atlantic Salmon from farms in BC

Picollo, J.J., Orlikowska, E.H. 2012. A biological risk

assessment for an Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

invasion in Alaskan Waters. Aquatic Invasions 7(2)

WA State BC AK State Totals

Report Adult Escapes

(Marine)640691 599838 - 1240529

Reported Juvenile

Escapes (Freshwater)- 58953 - 58953

Recovered Adults

(Marine)5054 18993 602 24649

Recovered Adults

(Freshwater)525 1091 3 1619

Recovered Juveniles

(Freshwater)840 367 - 1207

Recovery of only 2% of escapes

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The Risks

Four common suggested impacts to wild fish from escaped

Atlantic Salmon

1. Hybridization with Pacific salmon species

2. Colonization of Atlantic salmon

3. Competition for resources in both the marine and

freshwater environments

4. Transmission of disease from escapes to wild stocks

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The ASWP- the beginning

Main Objectives:

• Increase awareness of the presence of Atlantic salmon in BC waters

• Expand the reporting of Atlantic salmon

• Maintain a database of the number of Atlantic salmon reported

and/or observed in BC

• Obtain biological information from returned Atlantic salmon

In 1995, the Atlantic Salmon Watch Hotline was introduced:1-800-811-6010

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Distribution of Atlantic salmon catch 1991-1998

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Distribution of Atlantic Salmon in Freshwater

1991-1998Adults Juveniles

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Three rivers not associated with Atlantic salmon hatcheries, the Tsitika River, Adam

River and Amor de Cosmos Creek, were found to have juvenile Atlantic salmon

• Volpe, J.P., Taylor E.B., Rimmer, D.W., Glickman B.W. 2000. Evidence of Natural

Reproduction of Aquaculture-Escaped Atlantic salmon in a Coastal British Columbia

River. Conservation Biology 14(3).

• 2001- training of 1st nations to

carry out snorkel surveys

• 2001- 129 swims, 2 adult Atlantic

salmon (Adam and Salmon

Rivers)

• 2002- 8 swims and no Atlantic

salmon found

ASWP1998-2003

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ASWP 2010-2012• Songhees Creek,

rotary screw trap

survey

• Georgie Lake, lake

trap survey

• Pacificus

Biological

Consulting, 2012.

Atlantic Salmon

Presence in

Vancouver Island

Streams and

Lakes: A Summary

Review

• River Swims

• 0 Atlantic salmon

caught or observed

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The Great Escape• July 24-25, Cypress Island

netpen #2 dragged anchors

• August 19 the net-pen

system collapsed and an

estimated 243000 - 263000

Atlantics escaped.

• First nations fisheries, sport

fishers, Cooke and

Washington state agencies

recovered 57000 fish.

• Biofouling and failed

structural components of the

system were blamed for the

collapse

Taken from: 2017 Cypress Island Atlantic salmon Net Pen Failure: An Inverstigation and Review.

Department of Ecology State of Washington, WA Department of Fish and Wildlife, WA Department

of Natural Resources. January 30, 2018 pp. 120

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The Great Escape Cont…

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The Great Escape cont…

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The ASWP 2017-now

2017

• 111 reports to the hotline: 78 confirmed

as Atlantic salmon

• 44 odoliths from retained Atlantics

were sent to Washington State and 43

were confirmed as being from Cypress

Island

• Eleven fish were retained and sampled

in house and sent for analysis (-ve for

IHNV, IPNV, ISAV, VHSV, SAV; +ve for

Piscirickettsia salmonis)

2018

• 7 reports to the hotline: 2 confirmed

as Atlantic salmon

• 4 carcasses have been retained and

will be necropsied, stomach and

odolith sampled

• One report of an Atlantic salmon in a

the Eve River

• 14 river swims; no Atlantics observed

• Spring 2019- planning smolt surveys

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2018 ASWP Efforts

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The Risks

Four common suggested impacts to wild fish from escaped

Atlantic Salmon

1. Hybridization with Pacific salmon species

2. Competition for resources in both the marine and

freshwater environments

3. Colonization of Atlantic salmon

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1. Hybridization

• 1975-1993 several studies showed difficulties in

breeding Atlantic salmon and pacific salmonids (rainbow

trout, coho, pink).

• D.L. Alverson and G.T. Ruggerone. 1997. Escape farm

salmon: environmental and ecological concerns. In the

BC Salmon Aquaculture Review.

Waknitz et al., 2003 vs. Gross et al., 1998

Taken from: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pig-fish/

The Pigfish

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• Competition for food

McKinnell et al., 1997- 7% of Atlantics caught in the Pacific had prey in stomachs

• Competition for space

McKinnell et al., 1997- Most fish caught in freshwater were either mature or maturing

Volpe et al., 2000- “…Atlantic salmon escaping from aquaculture facilities are likely to

experience low spawning success in coastal BC.”

Volpe et al., 2001- Atlantic salmon juveniles may compete with juvenile steelhead

2. Competition for Resources

n = 1066

From Phillips, S., 2009. Marine Aquaculture-

Environmental Impacts: sea lice and escapement and

recent federal actions pp8.

Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

Fall Winter Spring Summer

Breeding Outmigration of JuvenilesBreeding?

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3. Risk of Colonization of Atlantic Salmon in BC

Escapes 1987-2009

• Washington State: 640 000

• BC: 600 000

• BC Freshwater: 60 000

Evidence suggesting low potential of

colonization:

• Prior attempts at introduction

• Salmon farming selective

breeding

• Domestication of Atlantics

• Lack of evidence for recruitment

outside of native range

• Few sightings in rivers in

recent years despite high

surveillance

Evidence suggesting high potential of

colonization

• Increased risk with continued

escapes (large and small scale

escapes; “leaky” systems)

• Potential naturalization of Atlantics

• Recruitment of Altantic salmon

(Volpe et al., 2000)

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0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

19871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018

Early Years

• Small farms- “ma

and pa”

operations

• Very little

knowledge

• Low technology

• Industry with

huge potential

The 90s

• Ramping up of

industry

• Consolidation of

companies

• Trial and error

• Advancing but

limited

technologies

• Increased scutiny

The 2000s

• Increased

government

regulations

• Increasing

knowledge and

technology

• Increased

concern,

antagonism

2010 and beyond

• Very high level of

regulation and

reporting

• Highly organized

companies

• High level of

knowledge and

technology

• Continued

concern

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Surveillance of Atlantic Salmon around

Vancouver Island (WCVI)

Pacificus Biological Consulting, 2012. Atlantic Salmon Presence in Vancouver Island

Streams and Lakes: A Summary Review

50 river/streams where Atlantic Salmon were observed

Atleo River Gordon River Sook River

Bedwell System Kaouk River Stamp River

Burman River Leiner River Sucwoa River

Canton Creek Marble River Tahsis River

Carnation Creek Megin River Tlupana River

Cayeghle System Moyeha River Tsowwin River

Conuma River Nitinat River Zeballos River

Gold River Somass River

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DFO Stock Assessment’s West Coast of Vancouver Island 2018 Pre-season Escapement Plan

Stream/River Name

AugustSeptember October

November Total Atlanticsper

River/Stream8-1 8-2 8-3 8-4 9-1 9-2 9-3 9-4 10-1 10-2 10-3 10-4 10-5 11-1 11-2 11-3 11-4

ATLEO RIVER 3BEDWELL SYSTEM snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 57

BURMAN RIVER 3CANTON CREEK 4

CARNATION

CREEKFence in Operation Year Round 7

CAYEGHLE

SYSTEMsnkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl

11CONUMA RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 4

GOLD RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 3GORDON RIVER 2KAOUK RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 2LEINER RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 20MARBLE RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 10MEGIN RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 7

MOYEHA RIVER 25NITINAT RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl 1SOMASS RIVER 8SOOKE RIVER 1

STAMP RIVER Camera counts from Stamp Falls Fishway to enumerate chinook and all other species 8

SUCWOA RIVER 2TAHSIS RIVER snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl snkl 16

TLUPANA RIVER 4TSOWWIN RIVER 3ZEBALLOS RIVER 116

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From Thorstad, E.B., Fleming, I.A., McGinnity, P., Soto, D., Wennevik V., Whoriskey, F. 2008. Incidence

and impacts of escaped farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in nature. NINA Special Report 36. 110 pp.

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Thank you.