Gyrodactylus Salaris
There has been a warning Scotland’s salmon stocks could be wiped out by a parasite. River managers say thousands of jobs would be lost and rural economies devastated if the deadly organism reaches Scottish waterways. A parasite native to the rivers of the Baltic Sea has devastated salmon stocks in many countries and could wipe out Scotland’s. Gyrodactylus Salaris (GS) is a tiny parasite that is only 0.5 millimeters in size and therefore is invisible to the naked eye. it lives on the skin and gills of the fish. If it made its way to Scotland it could destroy 95% of the Atlantic salmon in their rivers. Dee River Director Mark Bilsby said: “Only the UK and Ireland are free of GS in Europe. One of the quirks of the beastie is it’s already pregnant. Only one of these animals would need to come to the country in some damp clothing and it would start an epidemic.” That is why anglers who have been overseas are being told to disinfect all their clothing, boots and fishing tackle. At risk are 3,000 jobs directly involved in fishing, 500 of them on Deeside. There would also be a knock-on effect for the rest of the community. Head Ghillie Keith Cromar said: “If it comes into our system my job’s in jeopardy, hotel jobs are at risk and it goes right down to the village shop where anglers buy their newspaper.” Another threat to our fish and other wildlife is closer to home. A task force has been set up to tackle wildlife crime. Police, environment, animal and bird agencies will be targeting hare
coursing, poaching, habitat destruction and species persecution