Inland Fisheries Ireland has appealed to anglers and the general public to remain vigilant and report the presence of any Pacific pink salmon in Irish river systems.
To date, 30 pink salmon have been reported in Irish rivers, including the Crana Rivers of Donegal.
The Pacific pink salmon is a non-native species that could introduce parasites and pathogens that may harm indigenous salmon.
The first catch was reported on June 27th from Galway Weir fishery and have been discovered all over the country. The most recent catches have been on the River Erriff and River Owengarve in County Mayo.
The IFI have provided a guide to identifying Pacific Pink Salmon:
Pink salmon can be distinguished by a number of unique characteristics which are different to Atlantic salmon. They are as follows:
- Large black oval spots on the tail
- 11-19 rays on the anal fin
- Very small scales– much smaller than a similarly-sized Atlantic Salmon
- No dark spots on the gill cover
- Upper jaw typically extending beyond the eye
If caught, the following procedure should be taken:
Anyone who catches a pink salmon is asked to:
- Keep the fish and do not release it back into the water (even in rivers only open for catch and release angling)
- Record the date & location of capture, length and weight of fish
- Tag the fish and present it to Inland Fisheries Ireland and a new tag will be issued to replace the tag used
- Take a photograph of the fish
- Report it to Inland Fisheries Ireland’s 24 hour confidential hotline number 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24 without delay.
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