Wildlife

Wild Salmon Atlantic Recovery Welfare Context

Atlantic salmon populations are critically depleted, raising welfare questions at both individual and population levels.

Key Facts

Atlantic salmon have declined by over 70% in UK rivers since the 1970s
Multiple pressures including sea lice, disease, habitat loss, and climate change interact
Individual salmon face exhausting migrations in degraded rivers with poor survival prospects
Catch and release fishing is now standard practice in many rivers to reduce mortality

Welfare Considerations

Salmon experiencing obstacles during depleted river migrations including fish passes and predation face welfare challenges. Population-level decline means fewer individuals complete their life cycle successfully. Individual welfare considerations are increasingly relevant given salmon pain and stress evidence.

What You Can Do

Support river restoration schemes improving salmon migration conditions
Advocate for reduction of aquaculture impacts on wild salmon
Report salmon spawning activity to river monitoring programmes