Large salmon on their way up the river. But it is stopped by a salmon trap that has been set up at Tana bridge. At the same time, thousands of humpback salmon have made it through or escaped upwards. – This leads to a double ecological disaster for the Tanavassdraget. Now we demand that another government agency investigates whether this is environmental crime. For us, it is exactly that, says Heidi Eriksen. SALMON SHAREHOLDER: Heidi Eriksen. Photo: YLE She is a spokesperson for the local population on both the Norwegian and Finnish sides of the Tanadalen. They recently campaigned against the fence at Seidaholmen. It was commissioned at the end of June. The aim of the fence is to prevent humpback salmon from coming up the watercourse to spawn. The fear is that the alien species will displace the local Atlantic salmon. But neither the guide fence nor the trap has worked well enough. – The fence must be torn down, and the salmon released, says Heidi Eriksen. Video footage that news has gained access to shows that the humpback salmon gets through the guide fence that leads towards the trap. Campaign leader Heidi Eriksen, who is from Utsjok on the Finnish side of the valley, is most concerned that the fence prevents the rise of tanala salmon. – This can lead to the salmon not being able to spawn, to it dying or to it turning around and going back into the sea again, she says. Eriksen has submitted a request to both Norwegian and Finnish police that they investigate whether the fence at Seidaholmen is environmental crime. Finnmark Police District confirms that the claim has been received. – It will be investigated whether something criminal has been done or is being done, says police service leader Britt Elin Hætta. – Must gain as much experience as possible this summer The Norwegian Environment Agency and the Veterinary Institute are responsible for the fence in Tana. Senior adviser Sturla Brørs in the directorate says this about a possible review: – I’m relatively relaxed about that, I must admit. We have had good professional assessments all along. We had cooperation with Finland with mutual information and discussions, he says to news. RESPONSIBLE: Senior advisor Sturla Brørs in the Norwegian Environment Agency. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news There have been demands from both the Norwegian and Finnish sides that the fence must be removed, but Brørs does not think it is right to do so now. – We must gain as much experience as possible this summer, he says. – Assuming that the project had to be ended now, then you have to start again in two years. I hope we get to test as much as possible this year, he says. He says that they are constantly assessing fish welfare both for the humpback salmon and not least for the Atlantic salmon. – We have had episodes where we have released the fish because we thought it had been too hot, and when there has been quite a lot of Atlantic salmon, says Sturla Brørs. He states that there are now no large accumulations of either Atlantic salmon or humpback salmon. – If necessary, we will open parts of the barrier fence to let the salmon through, he says. Adjusting the guide fence Now the Norwegian Environment Agency will adjust the guide fence at the trap because it is not working as intended. Because the water level in the river is extremely low, the fence has several smaller openings so that the humpback salmon can get through. SWIMMERS: Humpback salmon (red ring) that have made it through the barrier fence. Photo: JOACHIM HENRIKSEN Roar Sandodden from the Veterinary Institute says that the guide fence on the western side of the river should guide the fish towards the barrier fence where the trap is also set, on the eastern side. – We have never said that the guide fence will prevent the fish from rising 100 per cent. So it is not surprising that some fish pass by there. But the scope has perhaps become a little larger than we had hoped for, he says to news. The challenge has become greater because the water level in the Tanavassdraget is extremely low. – This means that the guide fence, which consists of plastic rods, overlaps and small holes are formed which the fish are good at exploiting, says Sandodden. FELLA: Up until now, almost 3,400 humpback salmon have been slaughtered in Tana. In total, almost 58,000 have been taken in the Finnmark rivers so far. Here are Roar Sandodden (TV) and Sturla Brørs on the trap at Seidaholmen. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news Finnish minister: – Has spoken to the prime minister As the Tanavassdraget forms the border between Norway and Finland, the development at Seidaholmen is also closely watched in the Finnish capital Helsinki. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the Finnish government, Sari Essayah is responsible for the salmon population in Tana. – I have told the Norwegian ministers that I have briefed and spoken to our own prime minister. If necessary, this matter can be raised to the level of the Head of State, says Essayah to YLE Sápmi. The Finnish minister says she is worried about the spread of diseases between the salmon below the fence. – I have received assurances from Norway that they are working to make the fence work. I still want to keep in touch with Norway, says Sari Essayah. LEDEGERDE: Thousands of humpback salmon have swum up the Tana River this summer. Photo: JOACHIM HENRIKSEN Roar Sandodden at the Veterinary Institute states that they will analyze information before they can give a precise estimate of how much humpback salmon have made it up the river. The Finnish research institute LUKE estimates that more than 25,000 humpback salmon have been caught so far. Researcher Panu Orell tells the Finnish newspaper APU that the humpback salmon is a curious fish that looks for openings. – The Atlantic salmon, on the other hand, is more cautious and suspicious, and therefore the fence probably prevents the rise more, Orell tells the newspaper. According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, close to 3,400 humpback salmon have been slaughtered at the facility below the Tana bridge. A total of almost 58,000 humpback salmon have been taken in Finnmark.
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Tana: Demands that the police check whether salmon fencing is an environmental crime – news Sápmi
