New study assesses global escape policies in salmon farming.
A new global review of policies regulating farmed salmon escapes has found wide variation in regulatory approaches, with many regions still lacking effective measures to mitigate ecological risks.
The study, published in Marine Policy, reviewed frameworks in 14 leading salmon-producing regions, including Ireland, Norway, Chile, and Canada. Drawing on government documents, NGO reports and industry media, the authors examined how each region regulates escape prevention, reporting, monitoring, recapture, and penalties.
While all jurisdictions had specific measures in place, the authors found that most focus on reducing the frequency of escapes—through requirements for net maintenance or contingency planning—rather than limiting environmental damage once escapes occur.
In particular, only a minority of regions require the use of sterile (triploid) fish to prevent interbreeding with wild populations, despite growing evidence of genetic introgression and its long-term impact on wild salmon fitness.
“Some level of escape is inevitable in open-net systems,” the authors wrote, “but current policies rarely provide sufficient incentives or enforcement to drive meaningful change.”
Chile stood out for its stricter regulatory framework, including substantial fines and company liability following major escape events. In contrast, many other jurisdictions offer few formal sanctions and may allow operators to avoid responsibility under certain conditions.
The study also notes the emergence of “codes of containment” in several countries—policy instruments that specify containment requirements and reporting practices. While promising, these vary in scope and legal force.
The researchers conclude that effective regulation must go beyond incident response to include stronger preventive standards and clearer accountability mechanisms, with attention both to limiting escapes and reducing ecological harm.
The findings are likely to be closely watched in Europe, where sustainability targets under the Common Fisheries Policy and the European Green Deal continue to shape aquaculture regulation.
The article, Regulating a ‘fish out of place’: A global assessment of farmed salmon escape policies and frameworks, by N. Jalili Kolavani and C. Mather, is available at Marine Policy.