Fish farm operator says most of escaped salmon likely eaten

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) –
The owners of a Canadian facility where thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped following a fire say it is likely predators ate most of the fish. CoastAlaska reported this week that Mowi Canada West has downplayed threats to wild salmon stocks because of the number of sea lions feeding on the 21,000 non-native salmon held in pens there. The company’s fish farm north of Vancouver Island caught fire Dec. 20. Fish farming is outlawed in Alaska, while Washington state has passed a law ordering the state’s salmon farms to shut down by 2022.