The global seafood production of marine finfish is dominated by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reared in marine net-pens. Incidents and structural failures may lead to salmon escaping net-pens with their fate being poorly understood, particularly for small-scale escape events (N < 100). This study sought to identify spatial patterns and the fate of Atlantic salmon post-smolts following a simulated escape event from an aquaculture site in the Bay of Fundy. Farmed salmon (N = 99) were implanted with an ultrasonic acoustic tag and were released from a farm in small groups (N ≤ 5). Using an established acoustic array, we tracked fish movement patterns and mortality over a ~4 month period. Predation events by warm-bodied predators were assayed using the tag’s temperature sensors. Fish took ~5.0 h to leave the release site and initially opted to either move further inshore (N = 8) or out to sea (N = 73), though a large number of fish returned to the release site spending a large proportion of their time budget there (~26.4%). Several fish (N = 14) were also observed in nearby river estuaries. Most fish (72.7%) succumbed to predation shortly after release (mean time to predation = 57.9 h). Our findings suggest that there is a strong association of salmon with the release site that may result from seasonal migratory tendencies, which could be exploited to improve recovery of escapees. Also, predation may serve to limit the number of escapee salmon entering the natural environment following a small-scale release.
Cite this data as: Lawrence, M.J., Wilson, B.M., Wringe, B.F., Hawkes, J.P., Hardie, D.C., Hamoutene, D., Flávio, H., English, G., Black, M., McKindsey, C.W., Trudel, M. Movement patterns and predator-prey interactions of domestic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) following an experimental release in a highly dynamic marine environment. Published April 2025. Coastal Ecosystem Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St Andrews, NB.