Caught in the net

- or do we conserve the wild salmon?

Each river its own salmon stock

Norway has around 400 rivers with their own salmon stock. Each river has its own unique stock which over thousands of years has adapted to the river's particular conditions. The salmon's ability to adapt is a necessary condition for healthy and vigorous stocks.

When the salmon has fed and matured in the Atlantic Ocean it returns to spawn in the same rivers in which it hatched. In this way, stocks are isolated from others during the period of spawning. This is the basis for maintaining the unique genetic substance of each river's stock of salmon.

We need accurate regulation

Feeding and maturing salmon from different stocks mix in the oceans' feeding areas and after 1 - 3 years they return together to the Norwegian coast. Salmon from single stocks mingle in small or larger shoals so when there is fishing in the sea there is a great risk of netting salmon from different stocks at the same time.

Because of the shoaling, it is impossible to separate between salmon that belong to abundant and vigorous stocks and salmon that belong to weak and extinction prone stocks - stocks that should be protected. 50 rivers in Norway have implemented a fishing ban because of the dire situation regarding the salmon stock and the minimal reproduction of new generations of fish. In spite of this, these stocks are still being depleted in the sea by bag and bend nets. In addition, Norwegian sea netting is depleting vulnerable Russian and Swedish salmon stocks.

Among the countries of the North Atlantic rim, only Norway continues to pursue considerable fishing of wild salmon in the sea. Until recently, more than 50% of the total catches of wild salmon in Norway were as a result of bag and bend net fisheries.

Prudence conserves the wild salmon

It is a basic principle that any harvest of salmon in Norway should be sustainable. Similarly, any salmon fishing should not diminish stocks.

The Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers, Norwegian Salmon Rivers og World Wildlife Fund - Norway jointly agree on the demand for sensible and well tailored salmon fishing in Norway :

• The harvest of wild salmon should be aimed at vigorous single stocks that can tolerate it.
• Salmon sea netting that depletes vulnerable stocks along the coast must be regulated more firmly.
• In fjord areas the sea netting of salmon should be regulated according to the situation regarding the salmon stock in each river.
• Weak salmon stocks and stocks in need of protection should not be depleted further by fishing in the sea or river.