It’s all trout war: Anglers urged to bait up after 80,000 farm fish escape to sea

Anglers are in for the fishing trip of their lives after being asked to help catch 80,000 rainbow trout which escaped into the open sea. The invitation to bait up could help avert an ecological disaster before the escaped fish eat the eggs of wild sea trout in the seas off Denmark. The rainbow trout will take a few days to adjust to life at sea before they begin biting, experts said. “All sports fishermen should get out there with their gear and start fishing,” Soren Knabe, director of fishing association Vandpleje Fyn, said.

I see this as a bit of a tragedy (for the environment), to be honest. But I will probably make a trip or two out there.

Angler Ulrik Jeppesen

The rainbow trout escaped when a cargo vessel crashed into a fish farm between the island of Funen and Jutland on Tuesday. The trout, weighing about 3 kg (6lb) each, had been due to be slaughtered this week and were worth up to 10 million Danish crowns ($1.5 million). But Mr Knabe, said it was the worst possible time for rainbow trout to be released as the sea trout were arriving in the area to spawn. “The escaped rainbow trout will follow right behind the tails of the sea trout and eat their eggs,” he said.

Odd News