Where Have All The Salmon Gone?

Andrew Graham-Stewart, Director of Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS), explains that numbers have perhaps stabilised somewhat after a long-term decline: “Rod catches are a reasonable measure of abundance, and these tend to have held up reasonably well.” A contributory factor, Andrew believes, in the stabilisation is the decision by the Scottish Government two years ago to stop coastal netting altogether, after a lengthy campaign by S&TCS. “In the 1960s and 70s, the declared catch from netsmen was up to half-a-million salmon and grilse a year. That’s a huge amount. Before the recent ban, the declared catch was between 20 and 25,000 a year, which was still far too many, particularly for smaller rivers with depleted stocks.” Today, the remaining sweep nets (those within estuary limits, rather than coastal waters) have a declared catch of a few thousand. 

Another threat to the Scottish wild salmon stocks is the salmon farming industry, which is also affecting sea trout. Diseases and parasites are easily transferred, and interbreeding is a major concern for wild salmon gene pools. The effects of this are most noticeable in the Highlands and Islands, where all marine salmon farms are based, and the rod catches have declined at a far faster rate. 

Marine survival rates

You’d expect the rod catches to jump in response to this change in netting, but, Andrew says, “It hasn’t happened. Rod catches are still similar to what they were 50 to 60 years ago.” So why aren’t numbers responding? Andrew believes it is largely down to the marine survival of salmon having plummeted, in all probability connected to climate change: “In the 60s and 70s, marine survival was 20 per cent. Now that figure has dropped to five per cent or less. That’s a 75 per cent decline, which is huge.” 

Andrew says it isn’t only the numbers that have changed, it is also the timings of runs: “We’ve found that late spring and early summer runs, up to August, are holding up best. The early spring runs, in February, March and April, are pretty much lost, and the runs in the back end of the season, so September, October and November, have declined massively over the past three years.” 

How you can help

So what, as game anglers, can we do to improve the situation? Joining the Salmon & Trout Conservation (which campaigns to protect wild salmon and sea trout – especially against the damaging impacts of salmon farming) is certainly worthwhile, and of course following catch and release guidelines can make a difference. Game anglers are vital to the survival of the salmon today, both in practical conservation terms, but also to act as eyes and ears on the rivers. 

To find out more or to join the Salmon & Trout Conservation UK, visit www.salmon-trout.org