Significant decline in salmon in Wales
The salmon population in Wales has been in decline for decades, with numbers falling by almost half between 2009 and 2016. The decline is most pronounced in the River Wye, which provides almost half of the salmon in the River Tay, which flows into the River Forth, which flows into the River Clyde, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The salmon are an important part of the economy of the region, with fishers in the River Wye earning more than £120 million per year. The decline is almost certainly due to pollution, which has been a particular problem in the River Wye.
Signs of a significant decline in salmon stocks in Wales have been recorded for the first time in decades, conservationists said. The news comes as experts warn that salmon stocks in the UK have hit their lowest point in decades. The first signs of a significant decline in salmon stocks in Wales have been recorded for the first time in decades, conservationists said. The news comes as experts warn that salmon stocks in the UK have hit their lowest point in decades.
The populations of salmon in the River Severn, one of the longest salmon rivers in the world, have declined significantly over the past year. Fishermen have been catching far fewer salmon than normal, and the fish that have been caught have been of poor quality. The only explanation that appears to fit the data is that the river has been affected by acid rain, a pollution process caused when air pollution is carried over long distances and deposited on precipitation. The pollution is not only affecting the salmon in the River Severn, but also in the River Wye, another major salmon river in southern Britain.
Statistics for 2021 revealed that not all salmon spawning rivers in Wales were classified as 'safe' or 'safe to lose their salmon'.
Natural Resources Wales also said current salmon numbers may not be sufficient to maintain sustainable salmon populations in the future, but there is no silver bullet for salmon growth.
Reese has been fishing the River Tau in Wales since he was 13 and is now a member of the Llandovery Fishing Association.
He said the latest numbers didn't surprise him.
Salmon levels appear to be at historic lows, Reese said. Catches have been declining over the past 40 years and there are no signs of improvement.
He added, “We are facing pollution issues and raw sewage being dumped into rivers which is also increasing the problems.
There's been no comparison since I started fishing in the 1960s. We have overfishing at sea, pollution in the rivers and we can't recover from it. It's really frustrating.
Sharp and very severe drop
Natural Resources Wales said the drop in fish numbers is not just happening in Wales and Britain but across Europe.
It has been more pronounced for salmon, but there has recently been a sharp decline in the Welsh dugong stock, particularly in the south and south-west Wales,
Salmon and sea trout need high-quality fresh water to thrive and serve as an indicator of the ecological quality of rivers.
Natural Resources Wales said it had seen fishermen "responding positively" to its fishing laws introduced in 2020, but said more needed to be done to improve water quality in the river.
She also said that every fish that reaches the spawning ground or is safely released after being caught can help improve fish populations.
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