Hope for the Vosso through stakeholders working together
http://www.salmobreed.no/uploads/R&D/Vossolaksen.pdf (Norwegian): Summary in English here:
INITIATIVE TO RESTORE THE GENUINE VOSSO SALMON STOCK
"Vossolauget" was founded in 2008 with the objective to rescue the unique but endangered local
stock of Atlantic salmon in the river Vosso. The first year of operation is now successfully completed.
Combined efforts have enabled us to take this project from a bright idea only into a path-breaking
reality. This has been possible not only by the initiative and resources made available by the salmon
farmers, but also because our vision was shared by the river owners, local community, municipal and
governmental authorities, sponsors and volunteers.
The competency and technology which has made Norway world leading within industrial salmon
farming now returns to where it all started. The industry arose when knowledge of reproduction and
cultivation from the rivers was combined with coastal expertise on how to use fishing nets. Nearly
fifty years has gone by since the birth of the industry. Genes from The Vosso salmon are still well
represented in the farmed stocks. Now it is time to help the endangered original in Vosso back to its
old strength. The project builds on research carried out over several years about the Vosso strain, to
understand why it came close to extinction, and evaluate risk factors and available measures to
enhance the population. Vossolauget is scaling up and fortifying the research results which have
produced the best returns so far. This is the cultivation of full grown smolt in the river system
combined with open tank-based hauling of the smolt though its natural route of migration followed by
near-coast release. Our first production year resulted in the release of 86 000 smolt of which 60 000
were grown in the water system and the remaining came from the Vosso-hatchery. Having completed
a successful first year of operation, the plan is now to increase production to 150 000 fish annually the
next four years. The Vosso-hatchery has been expanded to meet this plan. We are confident of the
smolt quality and that the fish were successfully released into the ocean. Small scale releases have
resulted in Due to uncertainty abut survival in the ocean we expect a meagre 1-3% return over next
three year period; 2010-2012.
"Vossolauget" would like to express our gratitude towards all collaborating partners, sponsors and
volunteers for their contribution so far. We are convinced they share our hope that in a few years time
we can again start angling for our unique strain of salmon in Vosso!
From the Marine Harvest web site
Five-year project
- The process this far has been very successful. The egg material comes from the genuine stock of Vossolaks which is kept at the gene bank in Eidfjord. The smolt we have produced are of good quality and are just like a wild salmon, comments Marine Harvest Norway’s technology director and chairman of the project, Cato Lyngøy.
Key elements of the project are increasing hatchery capacity and establishing net pen-based farming in the river system. It is a five year project which this year released 50,000 smolt and expects to release another 150 000 per year during 2010-2012.
Sufficient to maintain stable population
Approximately 2–4% of the released smolt are expected to return as adults in 2010 and later years. Environmental scientists have now indicated the reproductive capacity of the river as sufficient to maintaining a stable population, when the numbers have been rebuilt.
The project is unique in having brought together fish farmers, wild fish interest groups, river owners and local communities. Marine Harvest is committed to provide NOK 350,000 a year until 2012 and made an additional start-up donation of NOK 450,000.
The fish used to average over 24lbs! No Gyro on the Vosso system but there are hundreds - yes hundreds of fish farm pens in the very long fjord system that the Vosso runs into. With a blanket of sea lice and large numbers of escaped salmon interbreeding with few remaining wild salmon the Vosso spiralled into a desperate decline. It is a shadow of its former self but I have heard a glimmer of hope. It is an interesting tale and I shall find out more.