The ocean has about 80,000 more rainbow trout in it after a cargo ship ran into a Danish fish farm on the Baltic Sea.
The fish, which weigh around 6.6 pounds each and were set to be slaughtered later this week, were worth up to $1.5 million, according to co-owner and director at Snaptun Fisk, Tim Petersen.
“We will seek compensation from the ship owners,” Petersen said.
The trout are only expected to survive for a few months, since they are unaccustomed to life in the open sea.
Despite their short life expectancy, they still pose a serious danger to the sea habitat. In an effort to help minimize this damage, people in the area are being encouraged to get out and fish.
The rainbow trout are expected to start biting within a few days.
“Sea trout are currently coming up into Funen streams to spawn, and sea trout eggs are a favorite food for rainbow trout,” Soren Knabe, director of the fishing association Vandpleje Fyn, said.
“The escaped rainbow trout will follow right behind the tails of the sea trout and eat their eggs.”
