The Environment Agency (EA) announced today (Monday, July 25) that wild Atlantic salmon populations are at a critical moment since the most recent stock assessment report predicts they are at their lowest levels ever.
Atlantic salmon have historically bred in UK rivers and are regarded as an iconic fish in our rivers; nevertheless, several factors are having an impact on their abundance at freshwater and marine sites.
In particular, overfishing and climate change are having an influence on salmon stocks worldwide through raising sea and river temperatures.
The life cycle of fish and the presence of impediments to salmon migration upstream can both be impacted by the water quality of rivers and estuaries.
The EA and its partners are removing obstacles to migration through the Salmon Five Point Approach, with 19 fish passes modified in the previous year.
Additionally, efforts are being made to enhance water quality and lessen salmon overfishing in both net and rod fisheries.
The Environment Agency’s Kevin Austin, Deputy Director for Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Natural Environment, stated that the assessment for England released today is extremely alarming and that, absent immediate action, Wild Atlantic Salmon may disappear from our rivers within our lifetimes.
Through our collaboration with partners, especially on the rivers Don and Tyne, we have achieved some notable results, but more work still to be done.
We need coordinated action from governments, partners, and industry as the climate emergency worsens in order to allow stocks to stabilise and recover to sustainable levels.
The Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science’s most recent stock assessment study raise serious concerns.
According to the most recent report, the number of salmon rivers assessed to be “at danger” has increased from 20 (48 percent) in 2020 to 31 (74 percent), with rivers in the South West, North West, and Wales being the most affected.
Only one river in England, the River Tyne, still falls under the “not at risk” category and has improved as a result of greater estuarine water quality and efforts to remove migration barriers.
Salmon have been able to repopulate the River Don because to work to restore the habitat and enhance fish passes.
Action EA
An overall catch and release rate of 95% in rod fisheries has been attained through a combination of both voluntary and required regulations. In 2019, the EA initiated the closure of the salmon net fisheries in England, until at least 2029.
In order to guarantee that all remaining rivers classified as being “at risk” implement a 100% capture and release rate, additional options are being investigated in England.
Salmon now have easier access to the Severn, Ribble, Camel, Tyne, and Test thanks to improvements made by the EA to 19 fish passageways at weirs or obstacles throughout English rivers during the past year.
As part of the Unlocking the Severn initiative, a new fish pass at Diglis Weir on the River Severn has also been finished to facilitate migration and restore 158 miles of river.
The EA has also highlighted improvements under the Water Industry National Environment Programme to protect river flow and enhance water quality.
53 projects that will benefit salmon will be finished in 2021. 37 of them were in our primary salmon rivers, and 16 were in salmon rivers that were recovering.
Defra has also sponsored the hiring of 50 additional agricultural officers who will collaborate with the agricultural sector to address chronic and urgent water quality problems.
One of the main problems we have is ensuring that there is clean, adequate water, which is why the government and the EA have made it a top priority.
In its annual Environmental Performance Assessment on water quality, which was issued earlier in July, the EA advocated for stiffer penalties and longer prison terms for people who cause substantial and intentional pollution that degrades water quality.
To coordinate efforts and advance initiatives that will benefit all phases of the salmon life cycle, the EA, Defra, and important partner organisations continue to implement the Salmon Five Point Approach and NASCO’s implementation plan.
The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) salmon management implementation plan was created by the EA and NRW to coordinate measures to benefit all phases of the salmon life cycle, lending further weight to this project.