A report from the Environment Agency and Cefas shows Atlantic salmon stocks in England and Wales have dropped to their lowest level since records began in 1997.
Once common across the waterways of the UK, the fish are now a rare sight for anglers, who log each fish they catch to build up a national picture of the species’ plight. Scientists also set up nets in salmon rivers to chart the prevalence of the fish.
This year’s data shows a stark decline. The total declared salmon catch for 2023 was provisionally estimated at 5,399 fish, down from 6,952 in 2022. Until 2017 at least 20,000 fish were recorded every year.
The fish is considered an indicator species as it is sensitive to pollution; its decline indicates that the waters in which it swims are not healthy.
Poor health of rivers is caused by sewage and agricultural pollution, sedimentation, chemical runoff from industries, and runoff from roads. Barriers such as weirs have also been put up on many rivers, stopping salmon from migrating, and rivers have been dug straight and deep, which means the shallow waters in which the salmon spawn have become rarer. Abstraction by water companies also means some salmon rivers over the years have dried up to dangerously low levels.