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Warning over invasive salmon species set to arrive in UK waters

The Environment Agency warns that the arrival of Pacific pink salmon in UK waters could have an impact on native fish, including wild Atlantic salmon.

James Robinson

News reporter

Wednesday 28 June 2023 13:31, UK

The Environment Agency has urged anglers to report catches or sightings of invasive Pacific pink salmon, which are expected to appear in UK waters this year.
Image: The invasive Pacific pink salmon is 'highly likely' to arrive in UK rivers this summer. Pic: Environment Agency
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An invasive species of salmon could be heading to UK waters - sparking fears about the impact on threatened native fish.

The Environment Agency (EA) says it is "highly likely" that the Pacific pink salmon will appear in rivers this summer.

The agency warns the appearance of the species could have an impact on native species, including the "threatened" Atlantic salmon.

While the Atlantic salmon are commonly farmed, and regarded as of "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), experts warn numbers have plummeted in recent years.

The Atlantic Salmon Trust says the marine survival of the wild salmon population has declined by 70% in just 25 years.

The Marine Conservation Society also urges people to avoid eating wild-caught Atlantic salmon - though classes some farmed Atlantic salmon as "best choice" in its Good Fish Guide.

Close-up of a recently caught wild Atlantic Salmon on a pebble riverbank, next to a fishing rod, reel and landing net.
Image: A wild-caught Atlantic Salmon

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The decline in numbers has been put down to various pressures, including overfishing and the destruction of habitats.

The arrival of the invasive Pacific pink salmon to UK waters "is seen as an additional threat to their survival", according to the EA.

Sightings of the Pacific pink salmon - which have a distinct two-year life cycle - have previously been recorded in UK waters in 2019 and 2021 and experts believe they could return this year.

The invasive species: The Pacific pink salmon

Pacific pink salmon were originally introduced into a number of Russian rivers in the 1960s and have slowly spread westwards.

They now colonise a number of rivers in northern Norway and have also been spotted in rivers in England and Wales.

They have a distinct two-year life cycle, and were last spotted in UK waters in 2021, and before that 2019. In 2021, there were 26 reported captures of pink salmon in England but none in Wales.

They spawn in rivers, mostly in the lower reaches, and their juveniles take up to four months to hatch, at which point they migrate to the sea.

It was previously thought that the environmental conditions present in UK rivers would not be favourable for colonisation by pacific pink salmon.

However, evidence from Scotland indicates that pink salmon have spawned and established viable populations.

"We therefore need to remain alert to the possibility that populations of pink salmon could now become established in English rivers in the future," the Environment Agency warns.

The fish - which originate from the northern Pacific Ocean - can be identified by large black oval spots on their tail, a very dark mouth and tongue and they have much smaller scales than the Atlantic salmon.

The EA has urged anglers to report catches or sightings of the invasive species.

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Simon Toms, of the EA, said it teams were "working hard to contain and control invasive non-native species so that native fish, ecosystems and other wildlife are reduced from the damage they pose".

"That is why it is crucial that the public understand this immediate risk and report the capture or sightings of all pink salmon to us," he added.

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