Eggs laid by Pacific pink salmon in a Scottish river appear to have hatched, reports BBC news.
The salmon, also known as humpbacks, were observed spawning in the River Ness near Inverness earlier this year. Ness District Salmon Fishery Board, monitoring the situation, said eggs it had collected show evidence of having been fertilized. A number of empty shells have also been recovered, suggesting some have hatched.
The fishery board is collecting eggs using equipment provided by Marine Scotland Science. The eggs will be kept in special chambers to monitor their survival rate.
Threat to native salmon
Pink salmon are native to Pacific Ocean waters. The fish are believed to be related to pink salmon introduced to rivers in Russia in the mid-1950s. These fish have since been found in rivers in Scandinavian countries, including Norway.
Salmon and Trout Conservation UK, and the Rivers and Lochs Institute at Inverness College UHI, have warned of the potential risk to native salmon, including competition for food and habitat.
Read also: Non-native salmon species spreading in the North Atlantic
