Report of the 2005 ICES/NASCO Symposium on Interactions ...

NINA SPECIAL REPORT 34
3. Conclusions by <strong>the</strong> Conveners
3.1 Introduction
It is clear that since <strong>the</strong> first symposium in Loen in 1990,
scientific understanding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> interactions between
cultured and wild salmon has increased considerably and
<strong>the</strong> science confirms that cultured salmon can have
significant negative impacts on <strong>the</strong> wild stocks. Real
progress has been made in managing interactions but
some significant challenges remain, particularly with regard
to fur<strong>the</strong>r reducing <strong>the</strong> impacts <strong>of</strong> escapees and sea lice.
These two topics dominated <strong>the</strong> symposium
presentations, <strong>the</strong> discussions and <strong>the</strong> ‘take-home
messages’ and are, in part, related to <strong>the</strong> large scale <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
industry. A fur<strong>the</strong>r positive development since <strong>the</strong> last
symposium relates to <strong>the</strong> extent <strong>of</strong> cooperation between
wild and farmed salmon interests and it is clear that this
process needs to be fur<strong>the</strong>r enhanced in future.
Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, <strong>the</strong> industry now acknowledges that its
activities can have damaging impacts on <strong>the</strong> wild stocks
and we believe that this acceptance provides a basis for
making real progress in finding cooperative solutions to
<strong>the</strong> remaining challenges.
In developing our conclusions, we have considered <strong>the</strong>
keynote speeches, <strong>the</strong> scientific and o<strong>the</strong>r information
presented at <strong>the</strong> symposium, <strong>the</strong> summaries made by <strong>the</strong>
Chairmen, <strong>the</strong> ‘take-home messages’ and <strong>the</strong> discussion
sessions. We have also taken into account <strong>the</strong> findings
from <strong>the</strong> recent Trondheim Workshop (Anon, 2006) and
o<strong>the</strong>r relevant information.
We have had to evaluate a great deal <strong>of</strong> material and to
make judgements about it and about how much weight to
give it in coming to conclusions. We want to make it clear
that to do this inevitably involves a great deal <strong>of</strong> personal
judgement. The reader will be aware that this is <strong>the</strong> case
in coming to many pr<strong>of</strong>essional or o<strong>the</strong>r judgements. Just
as two different juries might well have come to different
verdicts after hearing evidence from <strong>the</strong> same trial, two
different conveners might have come to somewhat
different conclusions from this symposium. However, we
are comforted that in coming to our conclusions, <strong>the</strong>re
was a degree <strong>of</strong> unanimity at this meeting that was not
present at <strong>the</strong> two earlier symposia, which helps us greatly.
We want to reassure <strong>the</strong> readers <strong>of</strong> this report that we
have tried hard to be objective.
We also need to make it clear that although <strong>NASCO</strong> and
<strong>ICES</strong> co-convened, and o<strong>the</strong>r organizations sponsored, and
supported, <strong>the</strong> Bergen symposium, <strong>the</strong> views expressed
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here are entirely those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two Conveners.
We have come to a number <strong>of</strong> conclusions. It should be
noted, however, that while <strong>the</strong> title <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> symposium
referred to interactions between wild and cultured salmon
and o<strong>the</strong>r diadromous fish species, <strong>the</strong> vast majority <strong>of</strong>
papers concerned interactions between wild and farmed
Atlantic salmon and our conclusions <strong>the</strong>refore relate
principally to <strong>the</strong>se interactions and <strong>the</strong>ir management.
3.2 The Salmon Farming Industry
A major change, and a most welcome one, since <strong>the</strong> last
<strong>ICES</strong>/<strong>NASCO</strong> symposium in Bath in 1997, is that <strong>the</strong>
salmon farming industry, certainly those representatives
present in Bergen, now fully accept that <strong>the</strong>ir industry can
have damaging impacts on <strong>the</strong> wild stocks. We very much
welcome this because it is a prerequisite to cooperative
action. We realize that, for various reasons, this has not
been easy for <strong>the</strong>m to accept, but this acceptance can
have major dividends for cooperation to mutual benefit in
<strong>the</strong> future. In Bath and before, <strong>the</strong>re had been a climate
<strong>of</strong> blame, public accusation and counter-accusation. Today,
we feel that <strong>the</strong> climate has greatly improved, as was
demonstrated at <strong>the</strong> symposium.
As concrete evidence, we look not only at statements
made by representatives <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> industry at <strong>the</strong> Bergen
symposium, but at <strong>the</strong> newly energized <strong>NASCO</strong>/North
Atlantic salmon farming industry Liaison Group which, for
<strong>the</strong> first time, held a joint meeting earlier in <strong>2005</strong>, <strong>the</strong>
Trondheim Workshop, which not only discussed and
debated some controversial issues (such as use <strong>of</strong> sterile
fish in aquaculture) but sought new ways to cooperate
(Anon, 2006). The goodwill and frankness that
characterized both that meeting and <strong>the</strong> Bergen
symposium should encourage us all to build on <strong>the</strong>
cooperation that is developing.
It will be evident from this report that we, <strong>the</strong> Conveners,
believe that it is vital that actions be taken to protect and
conserve <strong>the</strong> integrity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> wild stocks. But we would
argue that it is clearly very much in <strong>the</strong> interests <strong>of</strong> our
colleagues in industry, too. It protects <strong>the</strong>ir ‘seed corn’,
<strong>the</strong>ir future, it protects <strong>the</strong>m from bad publicity and in
today’s climate we expect that that aspect is vital for <strong>the</strong>ir
future marketing, sales and economic success.
Both Conveners have been involved in <strong>the</strong>se issues <strong>of</strong>
interactions between farmed and wild salmon for many
years but, for <strong>the</strong> first time, we feel encouraged by a new
atmosphere <strong>of</strong> cooperation, frankness and <strong>the</strong> will to
succeed. We hope that this will characterize <strong>the</strong>