Salmon stocks surviving in River Tyne after water quality improvement
The Tyne is the only salmon river in England remaining in the "not at risk" category
Last updated 25th Jul 2022
Today, the Environment Agency have revealed that 37 of 48 salmon rivers in England - 88% of them - are now categorised as "at risk" or "probably at risk" when it comes to Wild Atlantic Salmon stocks.
The River Tyne is currently the only salmon river in England to be classed as "not at risk".
It has improved due to better water quality in the estuary and action against barriers to migration.
UK rivers are traditional breeding grounds for Atlantic salmon and are classed as an iconic species in our rivers, however, many factors are impacting on their numbers at freshwater and marine sites. In particular, climate change is leading to rising sea and river temperatures and overfishing are impacting on salmon stocks globally. Water quality in rivers and estuaries can also affect the fish lifecycle as well as barriers stopping salmon travelling upstream.
Through the Salmon Five Point Approach action is being taken by the EA and its partners to remove barriers to migration with 19 fish passes improved in the last year. Work is also taking place to improve water quality and reduce the exploitation of salmon by both net and rod fisheries.
Kevin Austin, Deputy Director for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment for the Environment Agency said:
“Today’s assessment for England is of great concern and without urgent action Wild Atlantic Salmon could be lost from our rivers in our lifetimes.
“We have seen some real successes through our work with partners, particularly on the river Don and Tyne, but more much progress is needed.
“As the climate emergency becomes more acute, we need coordinated action between governments, partners and industry to enable stocks to stabilise and recover to sustainable levels.”
The EA, Defra and key partner organisations continue to deliver on the Salmon Five Point Approach and NASCO’s implementation plan to co-ordinate effort and drive forward actions that will benefit all aspects of the salmon life cycle. To add further weight to this initiative, the EA and NRW have also joined forces to develop the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) salmon management implementation plan to co-ordinate actions to benefit all aspects of the salmon life cycle.