Farmed salmon, aquaculture’s principal product, account for about 70% of U.S. salmon consumption. But escapes are common when hundreds of thousands of tilapia, catfish, sea bass, steelhead, carp, salmon and tuna are held in open pens, farms and ponds. Storms, equipment malfunctions and predators cause significant releases of farmed fish. Most salmon have been genetically-modified or selectively bred to be more aggressive and grow faster, with smaller fins and larger bodies.

Biologists worry that when farmed fish escape and interbreed with wild salmon populations, the genetic make-up of these wild stocks are altered which can lead to a loss of fitness, productivity, diversity and the eventual extinction of some populations.

Pending Legislation: H.R.273 - Prevention of Escapement of Genetically Altered Salmon in the United States Act
Sponsor: Rep. Don Young (AK)
Status: House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife (Natural Resources)
Chair: Rep. Jared Huffman (CA)