Farm salmon pose clear reproductive threat to wild gene pools

摘要

Farmed salmon show full reproductive potential to invade wild gene pools and should be sterilised, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The research revealed that, while farmed salmon are genetically different to their wild counterparts, they are just as fertile. This is important information because millions of farmed salmon escape into the wild, posing threats to wild gene pools. According to lead Researcher Professor Matt Gage from UEA's school of Biological Sciences, around 95% of all salmon in existence are farmed, and domestication has made them very different to wild populations, each of which is locally adapted to its own river system.