Author Archives: HM Government

Recently a non-native pink salmon was caught in the River Tyne at Wylam and around 100 are believed to have been caught in waters off the North East and Yorkshire coast in recent months.

Further afield, anglers have confirmed catches in a number of rivers in Scotland and in western Ireland.

The Environment Agency is collecting vital data about sightings so officers can monitor the situation to determine any impact on the local environment and species. Data collected will help the Environment Agency, fisheries researchers and other organisations with an interest in fisheries management in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia, better understand how to manage the arrival of pink salmon in the UK .

Unusual find

Jonathan Shelley from the Environment said:

It is quite unusual to find pink salmon in our waters and we’re keen anglers know we’re aware of the sightings and we’re investigating.

I’d urge anglers to contact us if they see any non-native salmon in the waters, with a date, location and if possible a photograph, which would really help us identify them and build up a picture of where they are.

We are monitoring the situation and early indications is that there is no major impact on wild fish stocks at this point in time.

The non-native pink salmon The native Atlantic salmon

Advice for anglers

Anglers holding a salmon licence who catch pink salmon are asked not to return the fish to the water. Instead they are asked to dispatch of them humanely and, if possible, make the fish available to the Environment Agency for inspection and further analysis.

If this is not possible, they are asked to send a sample of the scales. Trout and coarse anglers are asked to call the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60, if unsuccessful please return the salmon.

Pink salmon (Onchorhyncus gorbuscha), also known as humpback salmon, originate from the northern Pacific Ocean.

Millions were stocked in the White Sea region of north Russia from the 1950’s until 2003 to develop a net fishery. As a result, some have established self-sustaining populations in rivers in Russia, Finland and northern Norway. This is the most likely origin of the pink salmon recently caught in the UK and Ireland.

How to identify a pink salmon:

• Large black oval spots on the tail
• Bluish back, silver flanks and white belly
• Much smaller scales than an Atlantic salmon of the same size
• Very dark mouth and tongue
• 40-60cm in length
• Breeding males develop a distinctive hump

In contrast, the native Atlantic salmon typically:

• Have no spots on the tail
• Usually larger (up 110cm in length)
• Pale mouth and tongue
• Larger scales
• One or two black spots on the gill cover
• Spots on the back above the lateral line
• Thicker base of tail than a pink salmon

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The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) plus sponsors will invest in collaborative projects that address some of the challenges posed by animal experiments.

This is designed to:

• minimise the use of animals in research
• support the development of marketable products
• improve business processes

Collaborations are encouraged between industry, research organisations and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

What you need to know

The centre is launching 3 challenges as part of its Crack It initiative.

DARTpaths

This challenge aims to develop an effective data strategy and data management structure to map the developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) genes of different species. You should compare the effects of toxic compounds across species.

It is in 2 phases. There is up to £100,000 for phase 1. Phase 2 has funding of up to £1 million. Shell and Syngenta are the sponsors.

Dosing for controlled exposure (DoCE)

This challenge aims to improve dosing methods and strategies for in vitro dose-responses and to encourage their uptake, application and use in risk-based decision making. This could offer the potential to eventually replace the need for in vivo animal studies.

It is in 2 phases. There is up to £100,000 for phase 1. Phase 2 has funding of up to £1 million. Unilever and Shell are the sponsors.

RespiraTox

In this challenge the aim is to develop a model that reliably predicts human respiratory irritation to chemicals. It should use in silico-based tools.

This is a single-phase competition. Up to £100,000 is available. The competition is sponsored by Shell.

The background

NC3Rs is an independent scientific organisation that supports the UK science base to find alternative applications to the use of animals in research and improve welfare.

This competition is being run through the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).

Competition information

• the competition opens on 11 September 2017
• there are different deadlines depending on the competition you are applying into. These are:
  • 8 November 2017 at midday for the 2-phase DARTpaths and DoCE challenges
  • 15 November 2017 at midday for the single-phase RespiraTox challenge
• there will be a launch event on 7 September 2017 to find out more. You will need to register for the event

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This year the world is facing humanitarian crises in greater number and scale than ever before. Extreme hunger is stalking East Africa, pushing millions of families to the brink of starvation.

i readers will be rightly shocked and saddened by the harrowing stories of Somali children and their families. Babies whose bodies are shutting down because they are so starved, mothers who are fighting to keep their children alive.

These people are many miles away and their lives, wracked by conflict and drought, are totally unimaginable from our own. But they are our fellow human beings and they desperately need our help.

The UN suggests that half the population of Somalia is without reliable access to food, and 1.4 million children are acutely malnourished. Of those, 275,000 children are so severely undernourished they could soon die without urgent treatment.

The British Government has acted without hesitation. Earlier this year, I visited Somalia and saw first-hand that all the signs were pointing to famine. In response, the UK quickly stepped up support and right now, food is urgently being shipped into Somalia and distributed across the country – including to Somaliland.

We are giving one million people access to safe drinking water, food and emergency healthcare. This is the difference between a child having something to eat and having nothing; it is the difference between life and death.

The British public have also shown typical generosity; £60 million has been raised by the Disasters Emergency Committee’s East Africa crisis appeal, including £10 million of matching funds from the British Government.

British people are helping to alleviate the suffering but the UK cannot act alone on this. The swift action we have taken to save lives must be matched by others. That is why I have called on the whole international community to play their part to avert tragedy. UN organisations are now on the ground in Somalia developing response plans and scaling up efforts. The World Bank has pledged $50 million to Somalia to help people in drought affected areas access food assistance, water and health services.

To date, over $948 million has been raised for Somalia and this is more than was pledged for the whole of 2016. Over a fifth of this is from the British government alone – totalling £170 million – but more than a third of the humanitarian appeal for 2017 still remains unfunded.

Together, we have so far managed to avert a repeat of the famine which killed 260,000 people in 2011. But the job is far from done. The risk of famine still looms over Somalia; millions of people remain in dire need and hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk. Unquestionably, more people will die if we do not continue our collective efforts.

To maximise our impact, we must focus on the most urgent actions, collaborate properly and improve transparency. Funds must go where the need is greatest.

This is ultimately in all our interests. Somalia is one of the world’s most fragile countries and the humanitarian crisis threatens to undermine recent political and economic progress at a vital time. Meanwhile, extreme hunger is forcing people from their homes and threatens to swell the refugee crisis in Africa and Europe.

The British Government’s support for Somalia is enduring. We hosted a landmark London Somalia Conference in May this year, where we convened global leaders, the UN and key players from Somali government to end this desperate situation and help build a more prosperous, stable and peaceful Somalia for the future.

My message to the rest of the international community is clear: we must all step up our efforts before it is too late to stop innocent people starving to death. International leaders cannot and must not turn their backs or shut their eyes. That would be a stain on our collective conscience.

This article was originally published on the i newspaper.

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