England's salmon population sinks to new low due to poor water quality
LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) -England's Atlantic salmon population has sunk to a record low, the latest indicator that its marine and freshwater ecosystems are dirty and polluted, Britain's Environment Agency (EA) said on Monday.
The large, silvery fish are found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and rivers that flow into it, but about 90% of principal salmon rivers in England are classified as "at risk" or "probably at risk".
That means salmon numbers are below the minimum needed to support sustainable populations - a sign that more needs to be done to improve England's natural environment, the EA said.
It blamed agricultural pollution, sedimentation, chemical runoff from industries, wastewater and roads for degrading salmon habitats, while calling on farmers, landowners and the water, energy and waste industries to do more to protect the species.
The dumping of raw sewage in rivers and seas has sparked anger in Britain against privatised water companies, which are accused of routinely dumping waste in waterways and failing to invest in infrastructure.
"Forty years ago an estimated 1.4 million salmon returned to UK rivers each year. We are now at barely a third of that – a new low and evidence of the wider, growing biodiversity crisis," EA Chair Alan Lovell said.
"We need all those who pollute to clean up their act," Lovell said, noting that new legislation - the Water (Special Measures) Bill - will give the EA more powers to hold polluters to account.
The EA said similar declines in the salmon population were reported in Ireland, Iceland, Sweden and Canada but the UK had shown the "most significant" drop.
The provisional declared rod catch last year was 4,911 fish, 23% lower than the final declared catch for 2022 and the lowest since records began in 1988, the agency said.
Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by Barbara Lewis
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
