Footage of what we believe to be the first recorded sighting of invasive, non-native, Pacific pink salmon in UK waters this year has been recorded on the River Laxford in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland on the 29th June 2023. The footage below was captured by our Technical Project Manager for Project Laxford, Chris Conroy.
The sighting was promptly reported to Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS), the representative body for Scotland’s District Salmon Fishery Boards, via their Pink Salmon reporting app (https://fms.scot/pink-salmon-in-scotland/). We urge others to report any sightings of Pacific pink salmon which will help inform wild Atlantic salmon conservation efforts.
This early detection is testament to the extensive monitoring systems which have been installed as part of the 10-year landscape scale, ecosystem wide, conservation project on the River Laxford catchment, in partnership with Grosvenor’s Reay Forest Estate, which aims to restore wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout populations.
For more information about the impact of Pacific pink salmon on wild Atlantic salmon populations, spotting guides and reporting sightings, please visit the Fisheries Management Scotland website or that of the relevant authority within your area.
Click here to read our recently published Blue Book on the most up-to-date research and management strategies on invasive Pink salmon.
