30,000 Non-native Canadian Salmon Pull A Nemo

[Melody]

30,000 non-native Salmon made a break for it from an operation just north of Campbell River yesterday:

Clare Backman, spokesman for Marine Harvest Canada, said only a few hundred fish had been recaptured by late yesterday and he was not hopeful too many more would be found.

But he said the fish were disease- and antibiotic-free, posing no threat to wild salmon. "I can't deny that a few will feed on herring and compete with wild salmon, but they can't mate with them."

Early Tuesday, employees at the 12-pen farm noticed that the corner of one pen was dipping into the water, allowing caged salmon, weeks away from being sent to market, to flee into the Strait of Georgia. ~ Times Colonist (http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=e8e01e0c-c2ac-441a-ba8b-e05347585422)

Anyone know why they 'can't' mate with local Salmon? We know from the hobby that closely related species in the same family can and do mate. Am I missing something?:Think:

[PPulcher]

The escapees are Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar). I think they are much different than the pacific varieties. Mating with indigenous salmon won't be an issue, but if they get into spawning areas then it would be a competition problem.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks. I was wondering the same thing. I guess with that many escapees, if they start spawning, and thus the population grows, it could present serious competition for food supply down the road for our local salmon stocks.