Spawning Salmon in Ireland’s Rivers Have Suffered ‘Catastrophic Decline’ Says IFI

4th June 2024

File image of an Atlantic salmon in Irish waters

File image of an Atlantic salmon caught and released in Irish waters Credit: John Moloney

Spawning Atlantic salmon in Ireland’s rivers have suffered a “catastrophic decline in one generation”, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Monday (3 June), IFI deputy chief executive Dr Cathal Gallagher said numbers of wild salmon returning to Ireland to spawn have fallen from 1.76 million in 1975 to just 171,700 in 2022 — a drop of more than 90 per cent.

Dr Gallagher pointed to a mix of factors for this decline, including climate change and changing ocean conditions as well as issues affecting their food source.

IFI will be discussing the matter this week as it hosts the annual meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) in Co Mayo.

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Angling, Marine Wildlife

Published in Angling

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