ATLANTIC salmon numbers in Ireland are in “serious decline” according to a government-commissioned review of stock levels.
The study found those stocks to be in “serious and sustained decline”, with the number of wild salmon returning to Ireland falling from well over one million annually during the 1970s to fewer than 200,000 in recent years.
Atlantic salmon are at risk of being lost from Irish watersThe review of Ireland's Salmon Management Framework was undertaken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) earlier this year at the request of Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Timmy Dooley.
The findings have prompted the Government to launch a public consultation on the issue.
"Wild Atlantic salmon are an iconic species and an important part of Ireland’s heritage,” Minister Dooley said as the consultation was launched.
“However, we cannot take it for granted that salmon will always be present in Irish rivers," he added.
“Atlantic salmon are now classified as 'near threatened' globally and without effective action we risk the loss of salmon from Irish rivers where they have been present for generations.”
The consultation will now seek stakeholder views on a package of precautionary measures for the management of salmon exploitation.
The feedback will be used to help decide plans for the 2027 fishing season.
"There is no single cause and no single measure that will reverse this decline,” Minister Dooley said.
“We now need to consider both how we manage the salmon that return to our rivers today and what more we can do to give these stocks the best possible chance of recovery over the longer term,” he added.
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