Leaading EU fisheries scientists and fishery managers are set to meet in Westport this week to consider exciting new research on the genetics of Atlantic salmon and its implications for conservation and management of the species.
Salgen is an Atlantic Salmon Trust - EU funded project set up to review genetic studies on Atlantic salmon. The project aims to increase understanding and improve effectiveness of wild stock conservation.
The SALGEN meeting is being jointly hosted in the Co Mayo town by the Central Fisheries Board and the Marine Institute.
Dr Philip McGinnity, director of protection and conservation for the Central Fisheries Board said: "The location of the meeting is a reflection of and in recognition of the leading role internationally of scientists from Ireland, both north and south, in the area of fisheries genetics research."
The symposium will centre on a series of co-authored presentations by leading European and North American experts encompassing issues including; how Atlantic salmon can vary genetically, population structuring, stock identification and the effects of population declines, fish farm escapes and habitat change The symposium is a forum for geneticists involved in SALGEN to meet with resource managers and present and discuss their assessments of the conservation implications of what is known about Atlantic salmon genetics.
An independent economic socio economic evaluation of wild salmon in Ireland commissioned by the Central Fisheries Board is due to be published shortly.