Report of the Workshop to address the NASCO request for advice on possible effects of salmonid aquaculture on wild Atlantic salmon populations in the North Atlantic (WKCULEF)

Workshop to address the NASCO request for advice on possible effects of salmonid aquaculture on wild Atlantic salmon populations in the North Atlantic [WKCULEF], Copenhagen, Denmark, 1–3 March 2016.
Chairs: Ian Russell (UK) and Ole Torrissen (Norway).
Number of meeting participants: 25 representing six countries: Norway (ten), Ireland (four), UK (Scotland) (four), Canada (three), UK (England & Wales) (two) and USA (one). Additional participants also attended from the ICES Secretariat.
WKCULEF met to consider a question posed to ICES by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO): Advise on possible effects of salmonid aquaculture on wild Atlantic salmon populations focusing on the effects of sea lice, genetic interactions and the impact on wild salmon production. 

This question was originally included among a suite of questions developed by NASCO, and due to be addressed by the annual meeting of the Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon (WGNAS). However, given that the question was pertinent to other Expert Groups at ICES, particularly the Working Group on Aquaculture (WGAQUA), the Working Group on Pathology and Diseases of Marine Organisms (WGPDMO) and the Working Group on the Application of Genetics in Fisheries and Mariculture (WGAGFM), it was recommended that the question would be best addressed by means of a Workshop, independent of the Working Groups. WKCULEF enabled experts in aquaculture effects, wild Atlantic salmon, disease transmission and genetic interaction to share and discuss relevant information and recent findings, in order to meet the objectives and timeline of the request.
The terms of reference were addressed though a comprehensive review of the recent peer-reviewed literature. This was facilitated by a range of presentations from partic-ipants, by reviewing working documents prepared ahead of the meeting as well as the development of documents and text for the report during the meeting. The report is structured in two main sections, one focusing on the effects of sea lice and the other on genetic interactions. The third issue specified in the question from NASCO, namely the impact of salmon farming on wild salmon production, has been relatively poorly researched and most information derives from attempts to evaluate population level effects related to sea lice infestation and genetic introgression. This information has therefore been reported in the sea lice and genetics sections of the report, respectively. 

WKCULEF briefly discussed microbial diseases in aquaculture and the potential impact on wild salmon. However, it was not possible to review this issue in detail and it has not been included in this report.