Our native salmon are facing an uncertain future- but recreational water users including anglers can help protect them.
It is always thrilling to see a wild salmon leaping up weirs andwaterfalls as they return to their spawning grounds. But a parasitespreading through Europe could destroy the population here.
The parasite (Gyrodactylus Salaris) is less than half a millimetre insize and barely visible to the naked eye, but can cause severe damage tosalmon, and often results in the death of affected fish. It is nowwidespread in Denmark Finland, Norway and Sweden, and has also beenfound in France, Germany, Portugal and Spain.
Thankfully the parasite has not yet been found in the UK- butexperiments have shown that our salmon would be killed by it, so it isreally important that it is not introduced from Europe. It is possiblethat even one parasite imported to a previously affected river couldcause an epidemic in a very short time.
The main thread is from imported diseased fish and controls are now inplace to minimise these risks. However, there is also a small risk thatwatersports enthusiasts returning from European countries (Denmark,Finland, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain) couldinadvertently carry the parasite back to this country.
The parasite can survive in wet or damp conditions for five to six dayson boats, equipment or clothing. Most affected are recreational waterusers returning with their equipment, or European competitors enteringthe UK for events, where they intend to re-use their equipment within aweek.
If you are returning with equipment used in rivers in the Europeancountries above you can help prevent importing the disease on nets,reels, canoes, wetsuits, clothing and footwear by doing two simplethings:
• Thoroughly drying equipment for at least 48 hours. (Drying in sunlight in temperatures above 20 degrees centigrade). Or
• Disinfecting by immersing equipment in seawater or a salt solution(sodium chloride concentration of 3% or more) for a minimum of tenminutes can kill the parasite. All equipment should then be thoroughlyrinsed in tap water. Marine vessels returning from abroad do not pose arisk as the parasite cannot survive in seawater but consideration shouldbe given to tenders or other equipment used in rivers.
Further information can be found here:
Department for Environment,
Food & Rural Affairs (Defra),
Aquaculture, Salmon, Freshwater Fisheries and Whaling,
Area 5E, 3-8 Whitehall place,
London,
SW1A 2HH
Tel: 02072 708826
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.defra.gov.uk