Latest news with #flyfishing
Forbes
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Luxury Fly Fishing Is A Thing — Where To Cast In Big Sky, Montana
Big Sky, Montana Montage Big Sky Resort I can't fish. At least I couldn't until last month's trip to Western Montana, where the days are as long and brilliant as the sun's morning rays. Normally I have zero interest in fishing, and to describe me as an amateur would be kind. But for many years, I have longed to spend time with my older brother in nature, where we might steal the chance to form new memories and honor the bond we had as children. It is he who is the expert angler, and the one I now realize was always right in placing a premium on time spent in the great outdoors. But just before this trip began, he suffered the sudden loss of a loved one and couldn't come. Then he asked me the most sacred of questions: ' Would you take my son ?' And so it was that I and my 21-year-old nephew, who we'll call Slim, found ourselves at Bozeman airport, hitching a ride to a place that not only takes fly fishing very seriously, but takes pride in teaching others how to do it well. This is Montage Big Sky Resort, which many Americans consider to be a bucket-list destination for winter skiing. With direct access to 5,800 acres of skiable terrain via Big Sky Resort high in the Rocky Mountains, it is second in the nation behind Park City, Utah. Morning light in summer at Montage, Big Sky Jennifer Leigh Parker But I chose to come here in June, which they say is the best time to fly fish in the style of A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. They aren't wrong. We barely have time to let it sink in that we're here before being swept up into the 'luxury' fly fishing experience, which has been a thing out here ever since Kevin Costner in Yellowstone convinced wealthy Americans that Montana is 'the last best place'. Setting the scene are the two best resorts in Big Sky: Montage and Lone Mountain Ranch. By November, One & Only will make its U.S. debut in nearby Moonlight Basin. And on Thursday, Big Sky Resort announced that Michelin-starred Chef Grant Achatz is coming out to run a restaurant called 'M by The Alinea Group' from mid-December to the end of March, during ski season. So restaurants are finally catching up to the real estate gold rush. And local fishing outfitters are very much here for it. Stepping into the Montage lobby, we're served cool huckleberry spritzers, our luggage is swiftly stored in a junior suite and it's time to commence our first lesson: 'the Art of Fly Tying'. Boy, this is going to be tough , I think, as I watch our teacher work magic with a contraption called a vice; used to contrive tiny fake flies out of wire, scissors, threads, a whip finishing tool, and a bobbin. It's a delicate business, and I manage to break the thread countless times during the 90-minute session before we each come away with our own hand-tied flies meant to mimic midges. Slim promptly pockets and pats them for safekeeping. There's a superstitious quality to his move, and I can tell he's thinking: I hope we catch us some mermaids tomorrow! Fly fishing in waders on the Gallatin River, Montana Jennifer Leigh Parker Montage won't let us fish on empty stomachs. So we head to dinner at the Italian restaurant Cortina, and fortify ourselves with tender venison steaks, creamed kale, and a fat glass of Napa Cabernet, followed by firepit s'mores for dessert. Slim decides to try his first White Russian, which is essentially an adult milkshake with a splash of vodka, and sure enough, he starts telling me about his life: a summer internship, college in South Carolina, duck hunting and even a few career aspirations. I delight in hearing it, but every time he smiles or laughs, his honey-brown eyelashes fan out like peacock feathers on the tops of his cheeks, and I feel I'm looking dead straight at my brother. This happens again on the rivers, where the fisherman's son will show me just how much his father taught him. At daybreak, Montage drives us out in a Cadillac Escalade to the Gallatin River Guides shop, which looks like a 19th century trapper's den, but happens to be a premier outfitter in the fly-fishing capital of America. Montana Angler also serves the Bozeman clientele, but Gallatin is the main player in Big Sky. In the 20 minutes it takes to get there, we spot elk trotting across a meadow of white wildflowers — yet another reason to be here in summer. A blond, blued eyed guide named Tommy Flitton from Salt Lake City, Utah, helps us into our waders (big galumphing rubber boot suspenders designed to keep the water out of your socks). Slim looks like a natural, whereas I look like Billy Crystal in City Slickers . I can't take anything seriously in this get-up, except state rules: no fishing without a license, which we'd pre-arranged, and if you're going with guides, it's catch and release. When Tommy mentions today's objective: to catch rainbows, browns and cutthroats, I nod and smile as if I know the difference. Well, at least I know where we're headed: The famed Gallatin River, which originates in Yellowstone national park and flows north through Big Sky into a town called Three Forks, where it meets up with the Madison and the Jefferson. It's a great one to wade into because it's a 'free stone' river, meaning there are no manmade dams altering the natural flow. Where it runs fast, you can be easily swept off your feet; and where it's slow, the afternoon heat might lay your fish low. Either way, it promises adventure. And its majesty is not something that can be captured on camera. My first Rainbow trout of the day. Jennifer Leigh Parker Tommy is impressed that we tied our own midges, so these are the first flies we use. More accurately, these are the first flies Tommy ties on the top-of-the-line Redington and Orvis rods he's rigged for us, which are in the back of a truck filled with everything an angler could possibly need, including a packed lunch and cold drinks (lunch can be as simple or as high fallutin' an affair as guests pay to make it). The appeal of 'luxury' fishing guides is they handle all the logistics; packing, parking, and paperwork. And every time you cast into a tree or get stuck on a rock and break off your flies, the guide will re-tie them for you, which requires the ability to intricately sew standing up in a river or on a drift boat, facing the elements. So you can spend your precious time out here actually fishing. (Or in my case, half fishing, half trying to stay upright on slippery rocks). Of course, there's also the matter of the lesson. Tommy teaches us that once your fly is in the water, the idea is to match the speed of current, or 'mend the line' to mimic the natural flow of the river. Then 'high stick it,' meaning lift up your rod so it's not too slack (fish will see this and wise to your presence). When your bobber dips, that might mean a bite, so set the hook hard into the fish's mouth, as quick as you can, because these suckers wriggle off easy. Standing at enough distance to let us learn by doing, Tommy repeats the drill: Cast. Drift. Hook set. Fight. It's the same routine at every hole, which we walk to or drive to depending on where the real nymphs (adolescent flies) are buzzing. 'Set it or regret it,' he says, wading deeper into the cold clear water of 'The Meadow' (one of the prized public-lands of Big Sky). 'Don't reel in right away. He's feisty, so let him run, get him tired. This is the dance. You have to be patient with them.' He speaks with a slight twang, like life is a country song. Or at least, fishing is. A box of Tommy's hand-tied flies. Jennifer Leigh Parker By one in the afternoon, Slim has caught seven, and I've caught only one. But my single luminous rainbow trout was enough to earn me a stripe with Tommy. As we finish our sandwiches on the banks of the Red Cliff campground, he shares his favorite fishing spots with me. Though it's typically a closely guarded secret, he can tell I won't drop the subject until he talks. 'Come in the early morning to Swan Creek Campground. You can find slow, deep water when it's cold. That's where those fish are gonna be… On the Madison, there's a float section from Lyons Bridge to Ennis lake, chock full of brown trout, rainbow, cutthroat, and whitefish. And, of course, the Meadow.' He's referring to Meadow Village, where we hiked through a stunning wildflower meadow to fish for rainbow trout on the Gallatin. He concludes with a caveat: 'I really do think you can catch a fish anywhere on this river. It just depends on what scenery you're looking for.' My personal favorite spot we fished is called Taylor Fork, a tributary of the Gallatin, where two streams merge into one in the shadow of a vast pine covered mountain range. Here, I lay on the rocks and let the sun warm my face. I felt small and insignificant, in that way that grants you freedom to be big. I think that's why they call it Big Sky. Around four in the afternoon, we call it quits and head back. For the record, my count was one and Slim caught 10. I tell myself it's only day one. And my spirits are lifted knowing what's on the agenda for the evening: An unforgettable sushi dinner. Sure, it's catch and release: But what would a luxury fishing trip be if you didn't get to eat fantastic fish? The Omakase Experience Chef Wei at Backcast Restaurant, Montage Big Sky Jennifer Leigh Parker To kick off the summer season and compete with the burgeoning food scene in Bozeman or 'Boze-Angeles,' Montage has welcomed Chef Wei Chen to turn Backcast, their ski-chalet style glass house facing Lone Mountain, into an omakase restaurant. Normally, Wei works in Los Angeles as a personal omakase chef to Hollywood stars under the brand Omawei. But for this brief time, he's luring Montage guests with a menu that could stand up to any renowned big-city establishment, like say, 15 East or Sushi Nakazawa, where he started as a line cook in 2015. Over 15 courses, we're treated to a dazzling parade of only Japanese fish (flown in and served within 36 hours), like bluefin tuna, yellowtail, hotate scallops and anago eel. With dish after dish, Wei impresses us with passion and precision, but what I love most is listening to these two guys — who couldn't possibly come from more different backgrounds — argue about the relative value of rockfish. Slim insists it's a 'garbage fish' in Florida and the Carolinas, but Wei sides with the Japanese, who consider it a 'prize'. Who's right? It doesn't matter. I'm buzzed on crisp cold sake, listening to them riff about fish for a full two hours, like drummers in dueling rock bands. When we leave and are out of Chef's earshot, Slim turns to me and says: 'That was the best meal I've ever had.' At this moment, I feel like the world's proudest aunt and the size of my heart doubles. Because if there's anything I can teach him about, it's the art of fine food. Just before he becomes his own man. The next day, drifting down the great Madison River in a slick Hyde Montana skiff boat oared by Tommy, I finally managed to catch some fish. Beneath magnificent limestone cliffs carved by ancient glaciers called the Palisades, where Native American tribes ran the historic Madison Buffalo Jump, the wind picked up. A squall came upon us. Suddenly, we were wet with rain, and while I'm grateful Tommy is rowing us through it, I wonder if our chances for glory are dashed. Then they start biting. Brown trout, rainbow trout, whitefish galore. As if the fleeting raindrops themselves were fat, lazy flies. And all you had to do was set your hook fast enough. I look up and realize there is no greater happiness for Slim then when he's got a fighter on. And again, I'm looking dead straight at my brother. The squall quickly passes. There isn't a sound except the wind and the river, and the splash of Tommy's net scooping our beauties out of the grey nickel blue. Twice, we 'land' our trout in the boat at the very same time, which in angler parlance is called a 'double header.' We admire our catches and take pictures to prove the magic happened. For the day's record: I caught five. Slim caught 18. Of course, the numbers don't matter. I had taken my nephew fishing in Montana. And what we held in our hands was beautiful. When our day is done, we return to the Gallatin River Guides shop. There, on the bathroom wall reads The Testament of a Fisherman : 'I fish because I love to… Because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant — and not nearly so much fun.' John Voelker I couldn't agree with him more. 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Telegraph
19-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Inside Manchester United's 50-day summer rebuild – and the huge challenges ahead
For Manchester United 's director of football and chief executive, there was a little light relief from the all-encompassing matter of the club's summer transfer business this week. Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada spent a couple of days in Iceland at Sir Jim Ratcliffe's invitation, principally to discuss all things United in more relaxed surrounds but also to enjoy a spot of fly-fishing, one of the many passions of the club's billionaire co-owner. From there, Wilcox and Berrada were due to fly to Stockholm on Saturday morning to watch United take on newly-promoted Leeds United at the Strawberry Arena in their first friendly of what, unsurprisingly, is a huge season for the club and their head coach Ruben Amorim. Fifty days have passed since United's worst campaign for more than half a century finally drew to a close in a hot and humid Hong Kong, where they played the second of two rather unwelcome post-season tour matches, the first of which had ended in defeat to an ASEAN All-Stars XI in Kuala Lumpur and a chorus of boos from fans. Mbeumo on board in time for US tour Amorim could have joined Ratcliffe and company in Iceland but the Portuguese has his hands full trying to ensure United are in a position to make a far better fist of things in the Premier League – starting at home to Arsenal in less than a month – than they managed last time out. He will have been boosted by the news on Friday that United had finally reached a £71 million agreement with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo after a long chase, albeit for a fee far in excess of what they were initially offering for the Cameroon forward in the days after that 3-1 victory against Hong Kong. This never did have the makings of a straightforward summer of rebuilding. The protracted pursuit of Mbeumo, struggles to offload a group of high-profile players who Amorim has ruthlessly bombed out – Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho – and Liam Delap's decision to pick Chelsea over Old Trafford have merely underlined that. And that is before United look at how better-placed rivals, who already had a head start, are retooling. Amorim will be relieved to have Mbeumo on board in time for when his squad are due to fly to Chicago on Tuesday afternoon for the start of their pre-season tour of the US, even if he had originally hoped to have the player in when the squad first reported back to Carrington on July 7. Ratcliffe has been extremely critical of United's transfer dealings in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, both in terms of the fees paid and players recruited. Whether that impacted United's starting position on Mbeumo – or Ratcliffe was informed target players could be acquired cheaper – is unclear. But it certainly seems fair to wonder if the club would have been better off pursuing Mbeumo first and then moving for Matheus Cunha, whom United had a pretty clear run at. United's willingness to meet the £62.5 million release clause in Cunha's Wolverhampton Wanderers contract effectively set a benchmark for Mbeumo, who is a similar age, plays in a similar position and has a similar number of goals and experience in the Premier League to the Brazilian. Add to that the firm interest of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United and this was never likely to be a player secured on the cheap, especially as Brentford also had the option to extend his contract by another year to 2027. Some fans, therefore, will have questioned the wisdom of starting the bidding for Mbeumo at £45 million with another £10 million in add-ons and, if anything, it succeeded only in irking Brentford, who dug in their heels. Others will look at how United have ended up paying what Brentford pretty much wanted anyway and ponder the logic behind the process. On the upside for United, the £65 million guaranteed to Brentford will be paid over four instalments, just as Cunha's fee is spread over three instalments. All that helps on the balance sheet. Moreover, Amorim has acquired two players he believes will go a long way towards helping to address the team's chronic shortage of goals, one of many failings en route to last season's 15th-placed finish. United have deliberately targeted players who have shown they can do it in the Premier League and Amorim will hope the club can now start pushing others out of the door to help facilitate further arrivals. Club remain in the market United remain in the market for a striker after losing out on Delap. Several forwards United would have liked to have added but were out of their price bracket have or are moving clubs this summer, including Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool, Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal and João Pedro to Chelsea. United are long-term admirers of RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko but it would take money they do not currently have to land him. Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson and Moise Kean of Fiorentina are other names on the radar, while Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins' name has been touted but he would still cost a considerable fee and, at 29, has no sell-on value. United are among the clubs to have been offered a number of free agents such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Callum Wilson and Jamie Vardy but they still feel like fallback options at this stage. Amorim would also like another midfielder and possibly a centre-back too given the departure of Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans' retirement and doubts over the long-term fitness of Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez, who damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February and remains a way off returning. United have even looked at goalkeepers to provide increased competition for André Onana, who faces a race to be fit for the start of the season because of a hamstring injury. Royal Antwerp's Senne Lammens and John, of Botafogo, are among those who have been canvassed. Aston Villa's Emi Martínez has been linked but United were only ever going to be able to pursue such a deal if Onana was sold and there is little expectation of that, all the more so now given his injury. United hope Onana will be back for the start of the season or soon after but his injury has not been serious enough to force a strategic change. Making life unpalatable for outcasts If United's revamp is to stretch as far as Amorim hopes, though, with 43 days until the close of the window, they will need to sell well and clear money off the wage bill. There have been some small wins, namely the £20.7 million netted in sell-on fees for Anthony Elanga, Álvaro Carreras and Maxi Oyedele and the penalty clause Chelsea had to pay not to sign Sancho, who spent last season on loan at Stamford Bridge. But that is still window dressing in the grander scheme of things and, from both a financial and sporting perspective, there is a significant onus on moving out the likes of Rashford, Sancho, Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. Amorim, in truth, seems to be making a concerted effort to make life at United as unpalatable for that quintet as he can and does not want anyone around the squad whom he fears could be a distraction or a problem for him. United have appointed another Portuguese, Acácio Valentim, as team and operations manager following the departure in January of Jackie Kay, who was at the club for almost 30 years. Valentim, who arrived from Braga and previously worked with José Mourinho during a near 17-year stint with Porto as well as at Shanghai SIPG, is an extremely experienced team manager and it will be his responsibility to ensure the smooth running of various aspects of the dressing room. That, of course, will be made a little easier if the squad is shaped more clearly in Amorim's image. Rashford has been brutally stripped of the No 10 shirt, which has been given instead to Cunha, and the England striker and the other outcasts have been told they can only report to Carrington after 5pm when Amorim and the rest of the squad have left. No one could accuse Amorim of treading warily. That gang of five are due at the training ground this weekend when United play Leeds and given that Amorim intends to take a relatively lean squad to the US – where his side will compete in the Premier League Summer Series against West Ham United, Everton and Bournemouth – it is hard to believe those out-of-favour players will be among the touring party. Rashford, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, is eager to join Barcelona and is thought to be willing to take a pay cut if it aids his chances of a move to the Nou Camp. Barcelona, for their part, seem to be happy to sit tight and see what else unfolds first. The Spanish champions – who have tried and failed to sign Liverpool's Luis Díaz and seen a move for Athletic Club's Nico Williams break down – know that if all else fails they will probably be able to land Rashford late in the window, possibly on loan. United will hope to have found a suitor before then. Juventus are said to be the latest club to explore what it would take to sign Rashford and also hold a growing interest in Sancho. The Italian club have floated the idea of midfielder Douglas Luiz or forward Dusan Vlahovic heading in the other direction. Antony wants to rejoin Real Betis, although they currently seem to favour another loan over a permanent deal. United's best chance of bringing in serious money this summer after captain Bruno Fernandes rejected a mega-money offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in late May still seems to hang on selling Garnacho. Garnacho's preference is to stay in the Premier League, with Villa and Tottenham the latest to show an interest. Chelsea bid for the Argentina winger in January. Atletico Madrid, from whom United signed Garnacho in 2020, are keeping tabs on him. Amorim had told Garnacho in front of the rest of the squad in the days after United's Europa League final defeat to Spurs that he better 'pray' he can find a new club this summer and, all things considered, their relationship looks irreparable. The sight of Garnacho wearing a Villa shirt with 'Rashford 9' on the back was viewed internally as another shot across their bows and Amorim has made his feelings pretty clear. None of which particularly strengthens United's hand at the negotiating table. The futures of other players who are not actively being pushed out, such as Rasmus Hojlund, will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Inter had shown real interest in Hojlund earlier in the window but ended up signing Ange-Yoan Bonny and are now targeting Atlanta's Ademola Lookman. However, Inter's cross-city rivals AC Milan have started to show some interest in the Denmark striker, whose preference is to stay at United. Intense spotlight on manager With Cunha and Mbeumo on board, the expectation is Fernandes will drop into one of the two deeper midfield roles but Amorim feels he is still short in that area of the pitch. United would have loved to have added a player like Éderson but Atalanta made it clear months ago that the Brazil defensive midfielder was not for sale and not to waste their time trying. Since United have no European football next season, the manager intends to run with a smaller squad which could mean more young players being loaned out. New signing Diego León is determined to force his way into Amorim's first-team plans from the outset and, so far at least, the 18-year-old wing-back has been living up to his promise to 'kill it' in training. It was on the pitch after United's final league game of a miserable season that Amorim told fans the 'good times are coming'. Time will tell if that turns out to be the case. He knows there is an intense spotlight on him, and his team, and that is only likely to grow in the coming weeks, depending on how United fare in the transfer market, pre-season and at the start of what is a tough run of opening games in the Premier League. In that regard, Amorim was eminently sensible in encouraging his superiors to pull the plug on a potential behind-the-scenes Amazon documentary at Old Trafford next season. There are enough eyeballs on them already.
CBC
12-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Meet Bucky, the 88-year-old fly-fishing instructor
If you like fly-fishing in Nova Scotia, you've likely heard of Richard (Bucky) Devine. At 88 years old, he's taught the sport to hundreds of people over several decades. The CBC's Cassidy Chisholm has his story.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Three West Midlands teenagers to compete in world fly-fishing competition
Three teenagers from the West Midlands are heading to the US to compete on the fly-fishing world from Birmingham, Marcus from Church Stretton, Shropshire, and Harry from Rugeley, Staffordshire, are members of the England U18 River and Bank Fly Fishing will compete in the 22nd FIPS-Mouche World Youth Fly Fishing Championship in Idaho Falls from 12 to 19 July."This will be my first competition, and to have it hosted in America, it's a very big thing for me... its an honour to represent my country fishing," said 15 year-old Marcus. He said he became hooked when he picked up his first rod at three years old, but really got into the sport when he was now goes out to local reservoirs with his dad most weekends."It's really good to just get outside," he told the BBC. "This is what I love and this is what really helps me."Of the competition, he said: "It's just on my mind all the time, practicing, fly-fishing, practicing non-stop."The competition requires a specific fishing style of catch and release with barbless hooks, with both wading and boat must be a minimum of 20cm and competitors score 100 points for each fish, plus 20 points for each centimetre of 16, spent much of his summers in Trinidad and Tobago, where his cousins got him into fishing. "It's a really nice break from the city, especially me being in school full time… it gives you something to look forward to on the weekends," he said. He said in the run-up to the competition, the squad had been meeting more regularly, fine-tuning their kit and equipment."It's going to be like a brotherhood going out there," he said."I think we'll do well out there, I think we could podium... as long as we stick together and work well."Harry, 13, got into fishing when he was seven, catching three fish while he was out with his dad."It means a lot to me that I can represent my own country in the sport I love," he said."I've never been that far from home and I'm really excited... the lakes are bigger, the rivers are bigger and the fish are bigger, everything's bigger over there."I think we'll do well – it is our first time as a team… we are like the underdogs a little bit." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
France 24
09-07-2025
- France 24
The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
"As a kid, in the early 1980s, there was so much fish in the river, you have no idea. It was packed with sea trout and salmon. We could catch 10-15 fish in one evening," said the fly fishing enthusiast as he stood in the Stjordal river. Despite decades of experience, the 52-year-old left the river empty-handed 10 days straight. Wild salmon is now so rare that Norway in 2021 placed it on its red list of near-endangered species. An ever-growing number of wild salmon, which hatch in freshwater rivers before migrating to oceans as adults, are not returning to their birthplace to spawn upstream. They disappear at sea for as yet unknown reasons, though scientists suspect a link to climate change. Only 323,000 wild salmon swam upstream in Norway's rivers in 2024, against one million tallied annually in the 1980s, according to the Norwegian Scientific Advisory Committee for Atlantic Salmon, an independent body set up by the Norwegian Environment Agency. That has sparked concern among sport anglers and those who make a living from the hobby, which has been part of Norwegians' DNA ever since English aristocrats brought fly fishing to the country in the 19th century. "Salmon fishing is very important for Norway, both for the local communities along the river valleys and for the economy and value creation," said Aksel Hembre, vice president of the Norske Lakselver association grouping those who exploit salmon rivers. "We attract a great deal of tourism in connection with salmon fishing." Fishing quotas Following the drop in the number of returning salmon, authorities last year suspended fishing in 33 waterways and introduced new restrictions this year, including the closure of some rivers, shorter seasons and quotas. That has been a heavy blow to tourism and the 60,000 to 80,000 sport anglers who indulge in their passion in rivers where the salmon population is considered sufficiently abundant. While locals can do little about climate change -- which leads to warmer waters and changing ecosystems -- another culprit is fish farming. Started in the 1970s, farmed salmon has grown into a $12-billion a year industry -- Norway's second-biggest export behind oil and gas -- and created much-needed jobs. Norway's fjords are now dotted with hundreds of fish farms, each of their six to 12 floating cages holding up to 200,000 fish. According to some estimates, farmed salmon is now a thousand times more numerous than its now-distant cousin wild salmon, due to natural selection. Sea lice Farmed salmon contributes to thinning out wild salmon stocks, because of sea lice -- a parasite that thrives on fish farms. Some fish also escape from the farms leading to unwanted genetic crossings and diseases, according to the Scientific Advisory Committee for Atlantic Salmon. When the young wild salmon, known as smolts, swim past the fish farms on their way to the sea, the sea lice "eat their skin, they can suck their blood, and eventually they die," explained the head of the committee, Torbjorn Forseth. "Cross-breeding between wild and farmed salmon is bad because the farmed salmon is adapted to the farming environment, which is, of course, very different from the wild environment," he added. "So some of the traits these fish have (such as rapid growth) are very bad for the wild salmon." Sealed enclosures? To eliminate these problems, calls have multiplied for the fish farm cage nets to be replaced by sealed enclosures. "We demand that there be no emissions, no fish escapes, and no impact of lice on wild salmon. This is essential if we want to save it," Hembre stressed. While the fish farming industry says it shares concerns about wild salmon, it claims it needs time to adapt. "The main reason why this is not happening very fast is that it's quite challenging," said Oyvind Andre Haram, spokesman for the Norwegian Seafood Association which groups industry heavyweights. "Just imagine building a closed system, to put it in the ocean compared to an open system. There are a lot of things you have to be aware of," he said. "Can anything be broken? Can anything be affected by the streams of the ocean and the fjords? It takes a long time to be 100 percent sure that this is safe," he said. The industry has also called for further studies to explain the decline in stocks. The Norwegian parliament agreed in June that new regulations for fish farming should be introduced within two to four years. Aimed at reducing the farms' environmental impact, the rules are expected to push the sector to transition faster to closed cages. The authorities "are taking baby steps when wild salmon needs a revolution," lamented Ann-Britt Bogen, who left a career in finance to run a fishing lodge on the shores of the Gaula river. © 2025 AFP
