Another problem with invasive species

 

The wrong kind of salmon recently demonstrated why invasive species can be a problem -- and not necessarily a problem one expected.

‘It smells so bad’: glut of wild salmon creates stink in Norway and Finland

"The irony of too much salmon in countries that rely so heavily on it has not gone unnoticed. Hypothetically, pink salmon would be good to eat when caught at sea or just after entering the river – meaning mostly in Norwegian territory – but since this species is so new, and smaller than Atlantic salmon, there is no industry for it and only a few people are licensed to fish for it and sell it, says Eirik Frøiland, of the Norwegian Environment Agency.

At the top of the Tana, in Finnish territory, pink salmon soon spawn, die and putrify – meaning the window for catching and eating them is too short, says Tapio Hakaste, of Finland’s agriculture and forestry ministry. It is an invasive species, he says, especially for the Sámi people living in the valley; Atlantic salmon and traditional fishing methods have been a cornerstone of Indigenous culture for centuries."

Pink salmon