Galway Bay fm newsroom - Inland Fisheries Ireland has confirmed that farmed Atlantic salmon have been discovered in rivers across Galway and Mayo.
Escapee farmed salmon have been detected in the Delphi, Kylemore/Dawros, Newport and Bunowen rivers.
IFI says up to 500 escaped salmon may have entered western salmon rivers during August and September last year.
The fisheries body says the presence of sexually mature farmed salmon in rivers poses a potential threat to local wild salmon populations.
It says it'll continue to monitor the situation and may need to conduct longer-term genetic studies on the impact of the presence of farmed salmon in the river system.
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