UMMERA SMOKED SALMON
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NEWSLETTER

Ummera Smoked Wild Salmon has enjoyed the highest reputation over the years. This newsletter establishes our position in the light of media coverage concerning the increasing use of farmed salmon masquerading as Wild Salmon in hotels, restaurants and shops.

TAMED WILD SALMON

There are those who do prefer farmed or even tinned salmon, but there are many who believe that they are eating the genuine article when they are not.

The use of such descriptive terms as 'Atlantic Irish', 'Atlantic Scottish', Atlantic Sea Fed', 'Sea Fresh' or even, as seen in the USA, 'Tamed Wild Salmon' confirms their fish farm origin.

At Ummera, we have gone to some lengths to make sure that our product is correctly labelled and marketed as SMOKED WILD SALMON. The natural wild species is used by us exclusively; this, we feel, goes a long way in enhancing our reputation.

Economically, the hotel and restaurant trade favour the farmed salmon, but this economy is not reflected in the price paid by the consumer. It is becoming unusual to see smoked salmon featured on menus in its own right, but rather it is smothered with sauces, even tomato ketchup, in order to enhance, or perhaps, disguise its flavour! The French were the first to realise that farmed salmon required the artistry of the chef to make it palatable!

DECLINE

The Wild Atlantic Salmon has been subjected to intensive persecution over the past twenty years, ever since drift netting with illegal monofilament nets began at sea. The results of this indiscriminate slaughter have been obvious to all but those holding the power to do something about it. In the five years from 1986 to 1991, the Irish commercial catch fell by nearly 70%.

The 1992 season saw a slight improvement but the 1993 run started very late and never developed. The 1994 Wild Salmon run was encouraging, but 1995 with its unprecedented drought was patchy. The 1996 Season was not encouraging; whilst reasonable quantities of Salmon were reported in the rivers, there was a definite scarcity in the commercial sector.

Will Man destroy the rest in 1997?

FARMING

The farmed salmon are not without their troubles; difficulties with disease, mortality, sea lice infestation and volatile production have caused problems in the world markets. The cures for their diseases have led to widespread protests about the use of drugs and pesticides and their effect on the marine environment. Genetic pollution is a serious problem with the threat of ever increasing hybrid escapees from cages interfering with the wild stock.

It was initially thought that the farming of salmon would secure the future of the Wild stocks. It is now seen as the greatest threat to their survival.

HOPE

The conversion from Salmon Farming to Salmon Ranching (i.e. the releasing of Salmon smoults to feed and grow naturally in the Atlantic Ocean) is now uppermost in the minds of those who wish to assure the survival of this remarkably resilient species. Salmon Ranching is Man helping nature: by improving and cleaning river systems, by assisting the spawning of the salmon and by careful control of the harvest. Only by following the laws of nature can we hope to save the magnificent Wild Salmon from extinction.

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