Anglers on Tyrone rivers urged to report pink salmon catches

ANGLERS are being urged to report any catches of pink salmon (pictured above), which are not native to Irish waters and could pose a threat to the already beleaguered stocks of Atlantic salmon.

Last week, the Loughs Agency issued an alert requesting sightings of the salmon in the Foyle system, which covers many rivers in Tyrone like the Mourne, Strule and Owenkillew.

The Loughs Agency said the fish also known as the ‘humpback’ salmon, are native to river systems in the northern Pacific Ocean but populations appearing in Europe are believed to have originated from stocking programmes in Russia in the latter stages of the 20th century.

“Recordings of Pacific pink salmon in the Foyle and Carlingford catchments had been rare until 2017, when unprecedented numbers of the species began to be reported within inshore coastal waters in Scotland and England, and small numbers appeared in the Foyle catchment,” read the statement from the Loughs Agency last week.

“In 2019, the species was spotted in the Faughan, Dennett, Roe and Mourne Rivers within Loughs Agency’s Foyle catchment, and it was also prevalent in many other rivers throughout Ireland. Anglers are asked to be especially vigilant for potential reappearances of Pacific pink salmon during August and September, when they are most likely to be in spawning areas.”

Anglers who catch these fish are being urged to take a clear photograph of the fish, record the date, location and method of capture or sighting, and contact the Loughs Agency immediately on +44 (0) 28 71 342100.