Salmon stocks on the River Wye are just a tenth of what they should be

Research undertaken in America claims the levels of toxins in farm reared salmon are significantly higher than those caught in streams and rivers.

The researchers advised people to eat no more than two ounces of the fish every month but salmon producers in Scotland claim the findings are "deliberately misleading".

Although there is no salmon farms in Wales, the Environment Agency believes wild salmon stocks in the country could now be under threat.

The agency is warning that wild salmon stocks are dangerously low in Wales - on the River Wye they are just 10% of what they should be.

Losing wild salmon stocks would mean huge losses for tourism.

Poached

"What we are telling people is that there are no enough salmon in the rivers at the momen," said Mike Evans of the agency.

"So it's not a good idea to buy salmon if you don't know where they come from."

He urged people not to accept salmon from dubious sources - especially if it was wild.

"It may have been poached which could have absolutely devastating effects on our rivers."

People with suspicions about where fish have come through are asked to contact the agency.

Legal angling in Wales is worth around �10m a year and Rural Affairs Minister Carwyn Jones said it did not make economic sense to poach fish.

"To actually come and poach wild salmon in Wales and then to sell it as farmed salmon does not make sense," he said.