Salmo domesticus

[aknobloch]

Discussion: Salmo domesticus

Salmon populations have been fluctuant for many years while the consumer demand has only grown. To account for this, aquaculture has led to the formation of the Salmon-farming industry. Over the past six decades scientists have been able to genetically modify the endangered Atlantic Salmon into a species that grows fast while requiring less food, and at the same time being adaptable to areas from which they are not native. This new species has become known as Salmo domesticus. While this new species has allowed the global population to continue to enjoy an aspect of Atlantic Salmon, its adverse effects are becoming more readily known. The controlled environment of aquaculture breeding practices has all but eliminated the natural selection salmon go through in the wild. This has resulted in an inverse of the natural survival rate. Along these lines, the genetic diversity pool has been dwindled down to just a few patriarchs and matriarchs, from which populations today can still be traced back to. It is important to note that in the wild, salmon populations differ genetically from area to area. This can be attributed to the requirements needed in order to survive certain aspects of their home waters. If the species were to be based off a small number of genetic contributors, the ability to survive in the wild would diminish. In an ideal world, farmed fish and wild fish would be kept separate eliminating the possibility of interbreeding, however, this is not the case. Each year, millions of farmed fish escape the net operations resulting in the intermingling between wild and farmed fish. This has led to a deterioration of the natural genetic pool of wild salmon; an issue that could be catastrophic for populations calling the most challenging waterways their home. This could be the case of the Yukon River, which is the longest salmon river in the world. It takes a particular set of genetics in order to survive the harsh conditions as well as the long distances required of Yukon fish to breed.

[Isabella Erickson]

I agree that the limited gene pool that domestic salmon have is worrying. However, I do not believe that interbreeding is a major concern for wild salmon, or at least those in the Yukon, because I do not believe that the domesticated salmon could get up to the spawning grounds.

[Ron Sheldon]

Not to pile on but…If my understanding of the salmon lifecycle is correct I think the probability of them mating with wild stocks has been way overstreched. Salmon imprint on a water system from birth to smoltification. If Salmo domesticus follows this same pattern it would have imprinted on the rearing site or net pen area of the farm. If their migratory instincts are still in tact then they would migrate back to the fish farm when they start to reach maturity. They may find their way into a stream system close to the farm but it is highly unlikely they would just pop up a few hundred miles away. Even when wild salmon stray it hasn’t been shown to be that far from their native watershed. Just my perspective…

[Author]

Posts