Experts alert to the escape of hundreds of animals from an aquaculture farm. Their presence risks upsetting marine biodiversity and the economy.
In the Mediterranean, only 2% of fish populations are considered “in good condition”, according to A study by Ifremerthe French Research Institute dedicated to the knowledge of the ocean. This degradation is linked to several key factors: global warming, pollution and overfishing in particular. But for a few months, a new excitement has agitated waters.
The alarm bell has sounded in the Adriatic Sea – The Arm of the Mediterranean located the northern – last January after the leak of a hundred salmon from the reproduction cages of the Velebit canal in Croatia. The event may seem anecdotal for a non-specialist audience, but it actually takes great ecological importance, according to the Italian daily life Il Piccolo.
Because these voracious and non -native predators of an exotic species of the Atlantic Ocean represent a real danger once released. And for good reason: by rubbing shoulders with their wild counterparts, they can reduce the genetic diversity of the whole species and cause considerable damage to their new sea habitat. This is why, the Split Oceanography and Fishing Institute launched an appeal to citizens of Istria, Dalmatia and Kvarner so that they manifest themselves if they capture one or more specimens.
In recent years, the production of salmon has grew spectacularly to suit consumers. According to figures compiled by two French NGOs Seastemik and Data for Goodshe tripled in twenty years, going from a million tonnes in the early 2000s to almost three million tonnes today. From an economic point of view, these leaks therefore represent a real threat to fishermen, insofar as the number of wild salmon may decrease following this accident.
This problem comes at a time when local populations of wild salmon are already declining, with 60% of their world production from aquaculture. The marine fish farming sector in Croatia is constantly expanding with more and more new aquacultural installations located in the Mediterranean.
Developments that cause ire not only environmentalists, but also residents and various municipal administrations, tired of the many incidents linked to these structures. The event was repeated in February after the escape of 27,000 salmon from farms in northwestern Norway, reports France Info.