Distribution and abundance of pink salmon across the North Atlantic

ICES notes that both the abundance and geographic range of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) have substantially increased in the North Atlantic since 2017. In 2021, the total number of observed and reported pink salmon was over 500 000, with the distribution ranging from northern Russian Federation to as far south as Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and France.

ICES advises that pink salmon pose several potential threats to wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) both in freshwater and marine ecosystems. In freshwater the main potential threats are competition for spawning sites and interspecific aggression during the spawning season, space and food for juveniles, potential transfer of pathogens and decreased water quality caused by the decomposition of dead post‑spawning pink salmon. In the marine ecosystem the main potential threat is from competition for food.