Released aquaculture fish pose little threat
Anglers are reportedly catching some of the hundreds of thousands of rainbow trout released from their Ocean Trout Farms Inc. aquaculture cages off Coffin Island in Queens County last fall during post tropical storm, Noel.
Provincial Inland Fisheries Director, Murray Hill says, however, he doesn’t expect them to reproduce and impact native fish stocks on a long-term basis.
He said the species was brought to the Maritimes and farmed here for at least 110 years, but have not established a wild population.
He says they believe, but are not certain this is due to the acidity of the waters off the coast compared to the trout’s home waters of the Pacific Ocean.
There might be some short-term competition for food, he says, but, again, this isn’t certain.
He says he will be surprised if any are found within two years.
The province is asking anglers to report any catches. He says he has heard, but not verified, the fish have traveled as far as Halifax. Up to 500,000 rainbow trout were released during the storm.
