Urgent action needed to halt decline of wild salmon, warns Highland MSP
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Scottish Greens MSP Ariane Burgess has warned that urgent action is now needed to save Scotland’s wild salmon from extinction.
The Highlands and Islands MSP raised concerns this week in the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, as it scrutinised changes to protection for wild salmon in Scotland’s rivers.
Some 65 per cent of Scotland’s iconic wild salmon stocks have been assessed to be in poor conservation status, and salmon populations have been in decline over the past few decades.
A consultation on the changes found that a majority of respondents want urgent actions to be taken on other pressures on wild salmon, including fish farming, habitat degradation and low water quality and pollution. Salmon farms impact on wild salmon through the spread of sea lice, chemical pollution and genetic changes caused by interbreeding, Ms Burgess said.
“Wild salmon are iconic species in Scotland. They are particularly important to our rural communities, not just economically through angling and tourism, but also culturally, from the Salmon of Knowledge in Celtic mythology to the story behind the salmon on Glasgow’s coat of arms.
“I’m clear that angling is not the primary cause of wild salmon decline. But since these changes will allow increased catching and retention of wild salmon in seven rivers, it is even more important that we act on the primary pressures affecting wild salmon populations, including fish farming.
“A Just Economics report attributed the deaths of 71,000 wild salmon to fish farming in Scotland each year.
"The conservation charity Wildfish explain that “Everywhere in the world which has seen the growth of intensive salmon farming has also experienced a collapse of wild salmon runs.”
“We can’t afford to let Scotland’s wild salmon slip away forever. We need to urgently accelerate reforms to salmon farming, limit pollution and protect river habitats, so our rural communities can continue to benefit from this keystone species and food source for generations to come.”
