On a Plate!

Open net salmon farming is very big business in Norway and Scotland. This practice is now also growing dramatically in Iceland (often under Norwegian ownership). Tens of thousands of farmed fish have recently escaped from their Icelandic pens. People running those concerns, have been very loath to admit the 'breakouts' (it's a criminal offence). There's growing concern that the escaping farmed fish will endanger the viability of wild salmon (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/30/thousands-of-salmon-escaped-an-icelandic-fish-farm-the-impact-could-be-deadly). Wild salmon have complex life history. They hatch from eggs, released in river gravel. The young salmon then migrate to the sea to grow and mature. The mature fish eventually return to the rivers (often their hatching location) to breed and die. Farmed salmon are, however, selected to mature faster and younger than wild fish. It improves profitability for the farmers. It's been shown interbreeding between wild fish and escapees occurs. This produces offspring who also mature faster and younger. This is very likely to undermine the ability of the species to reproduce in nature. Migration is energy-demanding.