The incidence of escaped farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in the Faroese fishery and estimates of catches of wild salmon

The proportion of Atlantic salmon escaped from fish farms and caught in the Faroese salmon fishery was estimated using scale analysis. Samples were ob tained of fish landed in the commercial fishery from 1980/1981 to 1990/1991 fishing seasons and from research catches in the 1991/1992 to 1995/1996 se asons. The material collected was in some years limited to only part of the fishing season. The estimated proportion of fanned salmon in the fishery w as relatively low from 1980/1981 to 1986/1987, but increased considerably t hereafter, and reached a peak in the 1989/1990 fishing season when more tha n 40% of the catch was estimated to be of farmed origin. Later, the proport ion declined, and in recent seasons the proportions of Farmed salmon were e stimated to be around 20%. These estimates were used to split the Faroese c atch into wild and farmed components. It is concluded that if farmed compon ents in salmon catches are not accounted for, catches of wild salmon will b e overestimated and assessments of fisheries and stocks of wild salmon conf ounded. Furthermore, the increase observed in catch per unit of effort (c.p .u.e.) in the 1980s and early 1990s might have been caused by an increasing abundance of farmed salmon. (C) 1999 International Council for the Explora tion of the Sea.