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Should we all stop eating salmon? Why it’s suddenly become endangered

Published

2 months ago

October 19, 2024

Should we all stop eating salmon? Why it’s suddenly become endangered

Atlantic salmon populations in England and Wales have plummeted to unprecedented lows, according to the Atlantic Salmon Stock Assessment for 2024, a report published this month by the United Kingdom Environment Agency and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

According to the report by the two government agencies, a massive 90 percent of wild river salmon in England are classified as either “at risk” or “probably at risk”.

This latest classification is due to salmon stocks declining to levels that are insufficient for a self-sustaining salmon population.

“Forty years ago, an estimated 1.4 million salmon returned to UK rivers each year. We are now at barely a third of that – a new low and evidence of the wider, growing biodiversity crisis,” Alan Lovell, chairman of the Environment Agency, said when the report was released.

At the end of last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an international organisation dedicated to nature conservation, changed the status of Atlantic salmon from “least concern” to “endangered” in Great Britain on its Red List of Threatened Species.

“There are rivers that used to have in the UK maybe 20,000 to 30,000 Atlantic salmon running them, and they’re now down to 1,000 to 2,000, and there are some rivers with literally a few hundred left,” Dylan Roberts, head of fisheries at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in the UK, told Al Jazeera.

“We’re looking at about an 80 percent decline over the last 40 years in wild Atlantic salmon.”

An Atlantic salmon jumps out of the water at the Shrewsbury Weir on the River Severn in Shropshire, England, as it migrates upstream to spawn [Shutterstock]

Why is Atlantic salmon endangered?

In December, Atlantic salmon was classified as endangered due to a 30 to 50 percent decline in British populations since 2006 and a 50 to 80 percent projected decline from 2010 to 2025, according to the IUCN.

The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species has nine categories based on risk of extinction. These classifications help the wider scientific community assess and monitor the conservation status of different species.

They are the following:

Not evaluated: species that have not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria
Data deficient: species for which there is insufficient information to make a direct or indirect assessment of their risk of extinction
Least concern: species that are widespread and abundant and do not qualify for any higher risk category
Near threatened: species that do not currently qualify as threatened but are close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future
Vulnerable: species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild
Endangered: species at very high risk of extinction in the wild
Critically endangered: species that face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and meet criteria indicating an imminent threat to their survival
Extinct in the wild: species that survive only in captivity or outside their natural range and are presumed extinct in their native habitat after exhaustive surveys
Extinct: species for which there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died, confirmed by extensive surveys without sightings

The IUCN’s Red List includes more than 45,300 species that are threatened with extinction, which includes any species in the classifications from vulnerable to extinct in the wild.

According to Roberts, species do not automatically make the IUCN’s Red List just because of low numbers. What gets a species on the list is how sharp the slope of decline is.

“The slope on salmon is endangered. Hence they went on the red list. You’re looking at quite dramatic declines,” he said.

Why are salmon faring so badly in UK rivers?

Agricultural practices

Salmon habitats globally face multiple threats, including agricultural pollution, increased sedimentation on riverbeds, chemical run-off from industrial activities, wastewater discharge and even disruption of rivers due to new road infrastructure.

Additionally, structural barriers built in rivers that impede migration routes, water scarcity due to excessive use and rising ocean temperatures caused by climate change further endanger salmon ecosystems.

Bycatch

European and British salmon travel along a migration route through rivers and streams known as the “smolt superhighway” as they head north to feed into the North Atlantic.

Peak migration time when many of these young fish are heading through this superhighway is around May and June. At this time, young salmon often get caught by large trawlers entering in the same zone in the sea to catch other fish such as mackerel or herring.

This directly reduces the number of fish that can grow to adulthood and return to their natal rivers to spawn.

Bycatch refers to catching fish that are not the main target for trawlers. “Bycatch would be the accidental capture of things like seals, seabirds, dolphins, whales, sharks, rays, skates and [are] protected,” Roberts said. “All these species are recorded. The problem is that salmon just aren’t recorded. And other protected fish as well, such as sea trout, which go to sea.”

According to Roberts, a solution to this problem is to collect better data on how salmon are moving through the rivers and oceans to get a better sense of the impact on the population.

Maize production

The environmental impact of maize production in the UK has proven to be another factor that has adversely impacted rivers and streams vital to salmon. The growth in the use of maize in biofuels and cattle fodder has exacerbated the problem.

“The habitat has been destroyed by intensive agriculture and all the algae and the sediment run-off. So you get this filamentous algae growing on the riverbed, and the riverbed just gets smothered with it,” Roberts said.

The overproduction of algae is detrimental to insects and invertebrates that live in the river and on which salmon are dependent as a food source.

Can salmon farming make up for these losses?

Not really and, in some cases, it may be making the situation for salmon stocks worse.

According to some estimates, roughly 70 percent of the world’s salmon is produced through salmon farming and not caught in freshwater streams.

Salmon farming in the UK generates 1.5 billion pounds ($1.95bn) a year in revenues.

Some experts argue that vast numbers of salmon raised in cramped conditions in aquaculture facilities pose significant challenges and health risks. These practices not only impact the welfare of the salmon but also carry implications for human health and environmental sustainability.

Intensive salmon farming coupled with cramped conditions in farming sea cages can result in the salmon being more susceptible to catching diseases.

“You end up with disease problems – viruses, biological sea lice, sea lice problems – then all the waste that goes into these lochs because they’re in sheltered areas. They don’t get a full flushing from the tides, and over time, they build up,” Roberts explained.

“And what they’re finding now in these lochs is that they’re getting eutrophication [a build-up of algae]. So the locks are turning green, and that’s killing the fish in the cages,” he added.

Eutrophication is often caused by agricultural practices and can cause salmon to experience hypoxia, a depletion of oxygen levels. This can happen to both wild salmon and farmed salmon.

Salmon sometimes escape from the aquaculture farms through nets damaged by severe weather, just being worn down or via poorly secured drains.

Once these escapees from the “fish asylum” are in freshwater rivers and streams, they can interbreed with wild salmon, disrupting their natural development and passing on diseases.

“If you upset the genetic gene pool, that’s a big problem,” Roberts said.

salmon farming — A salmon farm in Loch Fyne in Scotland that uses round fish ‘cages’ [Shutterstock]

According to a 2023 annual fish health report from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, roughly 17 percent of the country’s farmed salmon died due to infectious diseases. Norway is the top producer of salmon, contributing roughly 50 percent of global production.

Diseases can range from winter sores to heart skeletal muscle inflammation. Although there are treatments for some of these diseases, the treatments themselves can weaken fish, making them even more susceptible to other infectious diseases.

“Infectious diseases are an extensive problem both for the fish’s welfare and survival in the sea,” said Edgar Brun, department director at the Veterinary Institute.

However, industry experts say finding the right preventive measures to reduce disease in fish remains challenging. Moreover, the overuse of vaccines can increase antibiotic resistance, making certain pathogens more entrenched in the salmon population.

Is salmon endangered in other parts of the world as well?

In Ireland and Iceland, overfishing and habitat destruction have led to significant declines in the salmon population.

According to Inland Fisheries Ireland, an organisation responsible for protecting inland fisheries and sea angling resources, wild salmon numbers returning to Ireland dropped from 1.76 million in 1975 to 171,700 in 2022.

In the US, specific species, including Chinook and Coho salmon, have endangered status due to overfishing, pollution from agricultural run-off and urban development.

In Canada, the fourth largest producer of salmon, production has fallen from a peak of 148,000 tonnes in 2016 to 90,000 tonnes in 2023, according to the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance. Many experts attribute some of the decline to hundreds of thousands of salmon escaping from sea cages and spreading diseases to the wild stock.

Should we all stop eating salmon?

Until recently, salmon was considered a luxury food in many parts of the world. These days it is eaten much more frequently, and many experts say we eat too much of it.

Although salmon is often celebrated by health experts for its omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart health, there is a risk of overconsumption, given the levels of freshwater contamination and diseases that can become pervasive in fish farms, causing populations to fall.

Some farmed salmon has more omega-3 fatty acids than wild salmon but can have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). PCBs are synthetic chemicals that have widespread industrial uses. PCBs can “live” in industrial waste that gets dumped into our seas, rivers and streams. PCBs tend to be more prevalent in closed-system environments than open environments, like freshwater rivers.

Many health experts recommend eating wild salmon because of their lower levels of PCBs. Freshwater salmon also tend to be less susceptible to those fish-related diseases that are more common in farm-raised salmon.

According to Roberts, encouraging people to eat less salmon would not be particularly practical.

However, he said, collaboration with organisations like the Missing Salmon Alliance, which brings together other NGOs that advocate for sensible production of salmon while preserving the salmon ecosystem, can help put pressure on governments to implement more stringent rules for fisheries to preserve current populations and increase salmon populations.

A European eel in the River Culm, England [Shutterstock]

Are other fish species in danger as well?

According to Roberts, another endangered fish is the eel. The conditions that have endangered salmon are very similar to those that are threatening eels: overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change.

Eels are an important food source for mammals that live around rivers and streams, including minks and otters. Smaller eels are an important food source for birds too.

Due to low eel populations, the European Union implemented regulations on eel fishing in 2018.

According to a May report from the European Parliamentary Research Service: “The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has suffered a 90 percent to 95 percent decline in its population since the 1980s. Within 50 years, the European eel has turned from one of the most abundant freshwater fish to an endangered species.”

How is climate change contributing to this?

Rising water temperatures as a result of climate change pose significant challenges for salmon. As the water warms, its oxygen content decreases, making breathing more difficult for these fish. Consequently, salmon must swim greater distances in pursuit of nourishment and cooler waters, further taxing their already strained systems.

According to Roberts, warmer waters destroy some nutrients in oceans and rivers, which affect food chains. Atlantic salmon typically eat zooplankton, blue whiting, sand eels, small insects, insect larvae and small crustaceans called amphipods or scuds. As food for the salmon becomes more scarce, this can have a negative impact on the size of the salmon.

Smaller salmon produce fewer eggs. Fewer eggs mean a decrease in the overall population.

“Now, as it grows, it gets faster, more powerful. It can evade predators, but if they grow more slowly, they’re more vulnerable to predation,” Roberts said. “And what we found is that the decrease in the growth rate of salmon is most marked during their first summer at sea.”

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World

Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal over ‘ridiculous fees’

Published

14 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal over ‘ridiculous fees’

Trump also hinted at China’s growing influence around the canal, which connects the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

United States President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal after accusing Panama of charging excessive rates on US ships passing through one of the busiest waterways in the world.

“Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

“This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop.”

The US largely built the canal in 1914 and administrated territory surrounding the passage for decades. But Washington fully handed control of the canal to Panama in 1999 after a period of joint administration.

Trump also hinted at China’s growing influence around the canal, which connects the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

“It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else,” he said. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!”

The post was an exceedingly rare example of a US leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory.

“It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the moral and legal principles of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” Trump said.

Trump’s tariff plan

It also underlines an expected shift in US diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.

Last month, Trump said he would impose tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports on day one of his administration and that the measures would remain until the “invasion” of undocumented migrants and drugs came to an end.

“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long-simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

Authorities in Panama did not immediately react to Trump’s post.

An estimated 5 percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships travelling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America.

The Panama Canal Authority reported in October that the waterway had earned record revenues of nearly $5bn in the last fiscal year.

World

Lo que nos dice la decisión de Trump de involucrarse en disputa de gastos sobre los próximos 4 años

Published

7 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Lo que nos dice la decisión de Trump de involucrarse en disputa de gastos sobre los próximos 4 años

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tras días de amenazas y exigencias, Donald Trump tuvo por qué mostrar una vez que los legisladores aprobaron un acuerdo presupuestario en las primeras horas del sábado, evitando por poco que las dependencias estatales se vieran obligadas a cerrar antes de Navidad por falta de fondos.

El presidente electo logró que los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes eliminaran algunos gastos, pero no logró su objetivo principal de elevar el límite de la deuda. Esto demostró que, a pesar de su decisiva victoria electoral y sus frecuentes promesas de represalias, muchos miembros de su partido aún están dispuestos a desafiarlo abiertamente.

La decisión de Trump de involucrarse en el debate presupuestario un mes antes de su toma de posesión también mostró que sigue siendo más hábil para destruir acuerdos que para hacerlos, y presagió que su segundo mandato probablemente estará marcado por las mismas luchas internas, el caos y el juego al borde del precipicio que caracterizaron su primer mandato.

“Estén atentos. Abróchense los cinturones. Prepárense”, dijo el congresista Steve Womack, republicano de Arkansas, un asignador presupuestario sénior.

Una mirada a la agenda de Trump muestra una cascada de oportunidades para enfrentamientos similares en los años venideros. El presidente electo quiere ampliar los recortes fiscales que promulgó hace siete años, reducir el tamaño del gobierno, aumentar los aranceles a las importaciones y tomar medidas enérgicas contra los inmigrantes no autorizados. Muchos de esos esfuerzos necesitarán la aprobación del Congreso.

Para muchos de los seguidores de Trump, la disrupción podría ser un objetivo en sí mismo. El 37% de los que votaron por él este año dijeron que querían “un cambio total y completo”, según AP VoteCast, una extensa encuesta de más de 120.000 votantes. Un 56% adicional dijo que querían “un cambio sustancial”.

Pero los últimos días dejaron claro la dificultad que Trump podría enfrentar para cumplir rápidamente sus objetivos, especialmente dado que los republicanos solo cuentan con mayorías escasas en la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado. Algunos legisladores ya parecen cansados de la aparente ausencia de una estrategia unificada.

El senador Kevin Cramer, republicano de Dakota del Norte, dijo que la batalla presupuestaria fue “una lección valiosa sobre cómo organizarnos”.

El fracaso de las exigencias de Trump

El problema comenzó cuando los principales legisladores publicaron una copia de la iniciativa de ley, conocida como una resolución continua, que era necesaria para asegurar el funcionamiento del gobierno federal hasta marzo. No fue el presidente electo, sino Elon Musk, el hombre más rico del mundo y confidente de Trump, quien primero comenzó a generar oposición a la ley en las redes sociales al calificarla de gasto excesivo.

Trump eventualmente se sumó a la batalla. Ordenó a los republicanos cancelar el acuerdo bipartidista que habían hecho con los demócratas y exigió que aumentaran el límite de la deuda, el tope de cuánto puede pedir prestado el gobierno, con la esperanza de evitar que ese espinoso problema surgiera cuando ya estuviera en funciones.

Aumentó la presión incluso después de haber modificado sus demandas iniciales. Primero quería eliminar el límite de la deuda por completo. Luego quería suspenderlo hasta 2027. Luego propuso una extensión hasta 2029.

Si las dependencias estatales se vieran obligadas a cerrar por falta de fondos, el presidente demócrata Joe Biden sería culpado, insistió Trump.

“Todos los republicanos, e incluso los demócratas, deberían hacer lo que es mejor para nuestro país y votar ‘A FAVOR’ de esta iniciativa de ley, ¡ESTA NOCHE!”, escribió Trump el jueves, antes de una votación sobre una versión del proyecto de ley que incluía un límite de deuda más alto.

En cambio, 38 republicanos votaron en contra. Fue un desaire sorprendente para Trump, quien a veces pareciera no tener ningún control sobre su propio partido.

“Sin esto, nunca deberíamos hacer un acuerdo”, escribió en Truth Social, su red social.

Si no conseguía lo que quería, Trump dijo que debería haber un cierre del gobierno. También dijo que sus correligionarios pagarían el precio en las elecciones primarias si se negaban a seguir adelante, y dijo que “los obstruccionistas republicanos tienen que ser eliminados”. Señaló especialmente al representante Chip Roy, de Texas, por su nombre y con insultos.

Pero al final, los legisladores dejaron fuera ese aumento del techo de la deuda, y un acuerdo final se aprobó el sábado a primera hora.

Musk y otros aliados de Trump intentaron presentarlo como una victoria porque la ley final se redujo significativamente y omitió elementos impopulares como un aumento salarial para los miembros del Congreso. Charlie Kirk, un prominente activista conservador, escribió en X que Trump ”¡ya está dirigiendo el Congreso antes de asumir el cargo!”.

El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, republicano de Luisiana, dijo que había estado en “contacto constante” con Trump, quien, aseguró, estaba “ciertamente feliz con este resultado”.

Si Trump estuvo de acuerdo, él mismo no lo dijo.

Tras días de publicaciones frecuentes en redes sociales, Trump volvió a guardar silencio el viernes. No ofreció una reacción a la votación final ni emitió ningún comunicado. En cambio, fue a jugar golf en su resort en Florida.

Karoline Leavitt, una vocera de Trump, dijo que el presidente electo ayudó a prevenir un acuerdo original “lleno de despilfarros demócratas y aumentos salariales para los miembros del Congreso”.

“En enero, el presidente Trump y el Departamento de Eficiencia Gubernamental (DOGE, por sus siglas en inglés) continuarán esta importante misión de eliminar el despilfarro de Washington, una ley a la vez”, dijo. El DOGE es un panel asesor que será liderado por Musk y el empresario Vivek Ramaswamy.

Más enfrentamientos en el horizonte

La atmósfera circense de la lucha por el presupuesto recordó al primer mandato de Trump. En aquel entonces, un enfrentamiento presupuestario llevó a un cierre del gobierno cuando Trump exigió dinero para su muro fronterizo entre Estados Unidos y México. Después de 35 días, el cierre más largo de la historia, accedió a un acuerdo sin haber logrado los fondos que había exigido.

Fue un punto bajo político para Trump, y el 60% de los estadounidenses lo culparon por el cierre, según una encuesta realizada por The Associated Press y el NORC Center for Public Affairs Research en ese momento.

Trump no dejó de intentar doblegar a los republicanos a su voluntad en ese entonces y ciertamente no lo hará en este momento.

Trump está aumentando la presión sobre su propio partido por sus elecciones para el gabinete, empujando a senadores republicanos reacios a aceptar algunos de sus nombramientos más controvertidos, como el activista antivacunas Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a quien eligió como secretario de Salud y el presentador de Fox News Pete Hegseth como secretario de Defensa.

Pareciera que los debates sobre el presupuesto del próximo año definitivamente pondrán a prueba aún más la influencia de Trump en la Cámara de Representantes. Muchos conservadores ven el rápido crecimiento de la deuda federal como una amenaza existencial para el país que debe abordarse. Pero algunos republicanos temen una reacción negativa de los votantes si se realizan recortes drásticos a los programas federales de los que dependen los estadounidenses.

Las preocupaciones sobre el gasto deficitario podrían intensificarse si Trump impulsa los recortes fiscales costosos que prometió durante la campaña, como eliminar los impuestos sobre las propinas, la Seguridad Social y el pago de horas extras.

Trump también pretende ampliar los recortes fiscales que promulgó en 2017 y que deberán llegar a su fin el próximo año. Ha pedido una reducción adicional de la tasa de impuestos corporativos de Estados Unidos del 21% al 15%, pero sólo para las empresas que producen en Estados Unidos.

Trump ha dicho que pagará las caídas en los ingresos con aranceles agresivos nuevos, los cuales, advierten los economistas, resultarán en precios más altos para los consumidores.

El representante Dan Crenshaw, republicano de Texas, dijo que la reducción del gasto público probablemente seguirá siendo un abismo entre Trump y los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes.

“Eso nunca ha sido realmente una promesa de campaña de Trump, pero es una gran prioridad para los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes”, dijo.

No había indicios de que la animosidad estuviera disminuyendo el sábado. Algunos republicanos culparon al liderazgo de la Cámara de Representantes por no asegurar la “bendición” de Trump en el acuerdo original. Los demócratas presentaron a Trump como segundo violín de Musk.

Mientras Trump se mantenía callado, Biden anunció que había promulgado la ley presupuestaria.

“Este acuerdo representa un compromiso, lo que significa que ninguna de las partes obtuvo todo lo que quería”, dijo. “Pero rechaza el camino acelerado hacia un recorte de impuestos para multimillonarios que buscaban los republicanos, y asegura que el gobierno pueda continuar operando a plena capacidad”.

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Boak reportó desde West Palm Beach, Florida, y Colvin desde Nueva York.

____

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de la AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

World

Pope to skip outdoor Sunday prayer after catching cold days ahead of Christmas Eve, Day Masses

Published

7 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Pope to skip outdoor Sunday prayer after catching cold days ahead of Christmas Eve, Day Masses

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday.

Chilly weather and the pope’s busy schedule during Christmas week were cited as reasons for the 88-year-old giving the blessing from his residence at the chapel of the Vatican’s Santa Marta quarters.

The pope usually addresses the public from the window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays.

BIDEN HEADING TO VATICAN CITY NEXT MONTH TO MEET WITH POPE FRANCIS, MELONI IN FINAL OVERSEAS TRIP

Pope Francis exchanges the season’s greetings with Vatican employees on Saturday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis sounded congested on Saturday as he gave his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats.

The octogenarian has suffered from bronchitis before, including last year when he was hospitalized, and he also missed a climate change meeting in Dubai last year because of the flu and lung inflammation.

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

POPE FRANCIS REVEALS HE WAS NEARLY ASSASSINATED DURING HISTORIC IRAQ TRIP

The pope developed pleurisy in his 20s and was forced to have part of his lungs removed in his native Argentina.

Pope giving blessing from St .Peter's Basilica window

The pope usually addresses the public from a window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Christmas Eve also marks the beginning of the Vatican’s Holy Year in which around 32 million pilgrims are expected to head to Rome throughout 2025.

The pope will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve and On Dec. 26, he will go to Rome’s main prison to inaugurate the start of the Holy Year there.

The Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee, is usually held every 25 years.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.