Mayo angler's fears grow as pink Pacific salmon caught in river Moy

A post from Foxford Anglers on Sunday confirmed the worst fears as Pacific pink salmon has been found in the River Moy.

Famous the world over for its Atlantic salmon fishing, the Pacific variety is an invasive species in Ireland.

At the recently held North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) meeting, serious concerns were raised that pink salmon may spread to and establish in rivers throughout the wider Atlantic region.

These concerns are raised after an explosive growth in their stocks was observed in the northernmost Norwegian rivers in 2021.

In some rivers there, pink salmon now appear to outnumber co-existing native Atlantic salmon stocks despite having persisted at relatively low levels for many decades prior to this.

The pink Salmon in question was caught in the Ridgepool in Ballina.