Preliminary report estimates up to 8,000 farmed salmon escaped into Killary Harbour.
A preliminary report into a fish farm escape in Conamara estimates that between 7,000 and 8,000 farmed salmon were released into the wild from a facility at Killary Harbour.
The report, obtained by the Connacht Tribune through Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, reveals that the escape likely occurred on August 11 due to a damaged cage.
Mannin Bay Salmon Company, licensed to Docon Limited, reported the incident to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on August 13. The company had been treating the fish with freshwater baths to prevent amoebic gill disease, a routine process halted due to worsening sea conditions on the day of the escape. The company suggested that a vessel may have caused the tear in the cage net.
Large numbers of farmed salmon reported to have escaped from Irish farm
An inspection by the Marine Institute concluded that the incident presented minimal risk to wild salmon populations, with no sea lice found on samples taken after the escape. A preliminary impact assessment from the Institute noted that escaped salmon were likely to migrate to sea or fall prey to natural predators, reducing ecological risk.
