Salmon Charter

JANUARY 2023

Salmon Charter

A manifesto for salmon angling in England & Wales

"SALMON IS THE KING OF FISH. THEIR JOURNEYS UP RIVERS ARE SOME OF THE MOST THRILLING SPECTACLES OF THE NATURAL WORLD. YET, NOW, THEIR VERY SURVIVAL IS AT RISK.”

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH SPEAKING DURING THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SALMON

our VISION

Our vision is a thriving, healthy and expanding population of Atlantic salmon in the rivers of England and Wales afforded full protection under the law with responsible agencies properly funded to support the conservation and economic benefits of rivers alive with salmon

To deliver a thriving, productive, and expanding salmon angling sector, with its associated environmental, social, and economic benefits we need:

A renewed focus on delivering an updated and fully funded Environment Agency

Salmon Five Point Approach(a cross government plan) and Natural Resource

Wales Salmon and Sea Trout Plan of Action with a clear timetable for action based on catchment-based delivery

Targeted action to mitigate and allow salmon to adapt to the impact of climate change

Greater protection in our estuaries and coastal waters from exploitation.

Greater stakeholder engagement in the management of salmon angling

An end to restrictive byelaws and the promotion of voluntary measures

Effective stock assessments, and transparency of data

Effective management of predation

To tackle the scourge of aquaculture

Effective management of all river users.

Maximise the socio-economic benefits of salmon angling

INTRODUCTION

We want to see our rivers full of salmon, with numbers back to their historic levels

This manifesto sets out the actions needed to return our rivers to a state where large numbers of smolts head downstream and out to sea, and large numbers of adults return to their native rivers to spawn, having matured over one or two years while at sea We want to see salmon numbers that allow our sport to thrive, expand, and bring pleasure to anglers for generations to come

This is not the case today The provisional declared rod catches in 2021 (5 736 fish) was 50% less than the final declared catch for 2020 and the lowest in the time series since 1988 For salmon, their future looks perilous, with some rivers, and therefore some genetically distinct populations of Atlantic salmon, facing the possibility of extinction within our lifetime All but one of the English and Welsh salmon rivers are classed as being “at risk” or “probably at risk” when assessing the populations of salmon they support The five-year prognosis is that this will not improve without concerted coordinated and fully funded action This decline not only impacts salmon, other migratory fish and fish species are facing declining numbers and more and more threats to their survival

Our fish face a range of pressures; climate change, poor water quality, predation, barriers to migration and the impact of coastal netting resulting in unsustainable levels of by-catch And yet too often it is the angler who has suffered the brunt of measures and restrictions on their lawful pastime and not those causing the problem in the first place It is often those very same anglers who are leading the charge to protect salmon and fight for their future This imbalance in terms of governments' and regulators' approach must change

Salmon are in crisis We need a renewed sense of urgency if we are to save them We know what the problems are and we know what the solutions are We need the political will to make change happen

Salmon angling makes a major contribution to the UK economy This is money that often flows to hard-pressed rural communities Creating jobs and opportunities in places where both are few and far between They are a vital part of the rural economy For example, in the Southwest one salmon caught on rod and line contributes £8 000 to the local community[1] [2] They bring many added benefits; from recreation to supporting mental health services The presence and management of salmon also delivers wider conservation benefits, for example the endangered freshwater pearl mussel relies solely on the life cycle of salmon and sea trout

The government has a legal duty to protect salmon and salmon fisheries This is set out in law via the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 which includes legal requirements to maintain improve and develop salmon stocks and fisheries In addition the government is under international obligations to protect salmon via it being a signatory to North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) It is the responsibility of the Environment Agency (in England) and Natural Resource Wales (in Wales) to protect salmon, improve their conservation status, monitor their populations, and carry out enforcement action to protect salmon

The strategies to deliver on these responsibilities are set out in the UK government’s Salmon Five-point Approach for England and the Welsh government’s Salmon and Sea Trout Plan of Action for Wales amongst other broader duties both the governments and their agencies have for water quality, water resources, licencing, and the enforcement of a range of duties and regulation

The purpose of the Environment Agency and Natural Resource Wales is to restore salmon stocks to viable populations that can deliver ecosystem benefits to our rivers, coasts and seas, as well as to the natural capital value for society in ways that deliver clear conservation benefits This objective is not being met

There is a need for governments and their agencies to rethink their approach to the management of salmon in England and Wales Future conservation and management strategies need to work across the life cycle of the salmon In England, they need to include new duties on the Inshore Fisheries and Conservations Authorities (IFCAs) to ensure the proper protection of salmon as they migrate through our coastal waters and estuaries The Environment Agency, Natural Resource Wales, and other government agencies who have a responsibility to protect salmon must be given enough funding to enable them to fully carry out their duties The government must provide clear political leadership to ensure the protection of salmon, the reversal of the decline in numbers and the necessary increase in abundance is a national conservation priority

Crucially, any further strategies and actions must have the involvement of anglers as a central component in their formulation, delivery, and monitoring, if it is to succeed They must be clear in their objectives and timelines, but flexible in their implementation to allow for the varying dynamics and pressures in each catchment

This manifesto sets out the actions needed to restore our rivers to a healthy state for salmon And to give salmon a positive, prosperous, and secure future We need to make decisions now and not wait until extinction creeps up on us

[1] The Environment Agency’s Salmon Action Plans

[2] A socio-economic study on the River Exe corroborated this figure

What’s Needed

To deliver a thriving, productive, and expanding salmon angling sector, with its associated environmental, social, and economic benefits we need:

A renewed focus on delivering an updated and fully funded Environment Agency

Salmon Five Point Approach(a cross government plan) and Natural Resource Wales

Salmon and Sea Trout Plan of Action with a clear timetable for action based on catchment-based delivery

Targeted action to mitigate and allow salmon to adapt to the impact of climate change

An end to gill netting and greater protection in our estuaries and coastal waters

Greater protection in our estuaries and coastal waters

Greater stakeholder engagement in the management of salmon angling

Effective stock assessments, and transparency of data

Effective management of predation

To tackle the scourge of aquaculture

Effective management of all river users

To maximise the socio-economic benefits of game angling

to look at each turn

A RENEWED FOCUS ON DELIVERING AN UPDATED AND FULLY FUNDED ENVIRONMENT AGENCY SALMON FIVE POINT APPROACH(A CROSS GOVERNMENT PLAN) AND NATURAL RESOURCE WALES SALMON AND SEA TROUT PLAN OF ACTION WITH A CLEAR TIMETABLE FOR ACTION BASED ON CATCHMENT-BASED DELIVERY

The Environment Agency’s Salmon Five Point Approach is seven years old There has been little to no progress on the five points that approach sets out The plight of salmon in England’s rivers has got worse, not better It is a failure The five approaches are:

1 Improve marine survival

2. Further reduce exploitation by nets and rods

3 Remove barriers to migration and enhance habitat

4 Safeguard sufficient flows

5 Maximise spawning success by improving water quality

While some work has taken place on removing barriers to migration, it is the case that other barriers have been put in place, for example, the reintroduction of species that create barriers without full assessments of the impact of such introduction on salmon survival particularly in situations where salmon stocks are now depleted to threatened levels And there has been a deterioration of habitats, particularly spawning ground resulting from poor water quality and sediment run-off

Improving marine survival, safeguarding sufficient flows and improving water quality have all seen no progress and little action. Only in the reduction in exploitation by rods (angling) have we seen any kind of concerted effort by the regulators through the introduction of catch and release only byelaws and measures to restrict the method of angling used This with the mantra that every salmon returned is precious but no similar regard to those removed through predation and poaching This is a disproportionate response against angling It implies that angling is the major cause of declining numbers; it is not It fails to engage angling as being part of the solution, alienating many sections of the community And it fails to properly address the main reasons for the declining numbers of juveniles and spawning adults

Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh Government published their Salmon and Sea Trout Plan of Action in 2020 Like the English Five Point Approach, there has been little progress with the exception of byelaws introduced to restrict angling

Both these action plans need a greater level of political priority, greater levels of funding and a greater focus on delivering all the actions identified This must be done by 2027 at the latest

The plans need to be reviewed and updated as a matter of urgency They need a greater focus on local delivery at the river and catchment level, with clear targets and KPIs against which to measure progress Delivery must be through local partnerships involving a range of interests, including anglers, and with adequate levels of funding to ensure its success

To prove the concept, we propose two or three salmon rivers are used as demonstration sites to literally throw the S5PA ‘kitchen sink at them to demonstrate that this will provide the results the government anticipated, with actions completed by 2025 In doing so we need to adopt best practice gathered from across the range of the Atlantic salmon including using climate change scenarios and innovative methods This will mirror actions already being taken in Iceland and in Scotland on the river Laxford

Delivery of these action plans will make a major difference to the chances of survival for salmon, both in freshwater and at sea And it will mean we have cold clear water flowing in our rivers and healthy marine environments that will benefit many other species too

The delivery of these action plans will make a major contribution to the other ambitions and targets the government in the UK and the Welsh government have for protecting species, increasing abundance, reducing pollution, improving habitats and delivering the net-zero 2050 commitments We want to see the governments of England and Wales prioritising funding through schemes such as the landscape recovery scheme to encourage catchment based improvement throughout salmon river systems, including measures to remove barriers, improve water quality, and establishing riparian tree planting to mitigate the impacts of climate change

Targeted action to mitigate and allow salmon to adapt to the impact of climate change

Salmon depend on cold, clean water to complete their life cycle Ever-warmer winters prevent successful spawning; while freak floods wash away eggs and young fish Low flows in summer bring the salmon’s epic migration upstream to a halt, leaving the salmon stranded, weakened and vulnerable to predation

Through the G7 2030 Nature Compact and our domestic commitments, the government has legally binding targets to halt the decline of biodiversity in the context of climate change

Despite the clear and obvious relevance of salmon to these commitments they are not currently included as a key biodiversity indicator species We believe this should change Climate mitigation measures to ensure resilience to the future are needed, specifically targeted at salmon rivers to ensure healthy habitats This must include measures that will maintain adequate flows, good water quality, resilience from drought, and enhancements to shade to protect rivers from overheating

To achieve this a holistic approach to the management of the river and its catchment is needed Current schemes too often only look at one aspect of the river's management e g tree planting on its banks to increase shading, without looking at the interconnected aspects of habitat and river management required

Atlantic salmon sit at the centre of both the climate and biodiversity crises in England and Wales

Greater protection in our estuaries and coastal waters

As we learn more about the migratory patterns and behaviour of salmon as they pass through our estuaries and coastal water, either as smolts leaving our rivers, or adults returning to spawn, greater protection is needed at these key stages in a salmon’s lifecycle

While the responsibility for protecting salmon in England's estuaries and coastal waters rests with the Environment Agency many of the impacts on salmon are the responsibility of IFCAs In Wales this responsibility is split between NRW and the Welsh government These divisions of responsibility can cause confusion with different agencies having different priorities And in all cases, there is a severe lack of funding and management expertise

A good example is the implementation of netting byelaws in England While it is the IFCAs who oversee these byelaws, designed to protect salmonids, their duty to balance the need to protect with the economic impact of any changes has too often resulted in them only considering that impact in terms of commercial inshore fishing interests They have failed to assess the impact (positive or negative) on the economy of the freshwater salmon fishery The Environment Agency are only able to act in an advisory capacity Too often this results in byelaws that fall short of the full protection needed The Environment Agency must have powers to veto measures if there is an impact on salmon

Greater stakeholder engagement in the management of salmon angling

The regulators both the EA and NRW have or are introducing more and more restrictive measures on salmon angling through the introduction of byelaws often meaning what was once legal becomes illegal overnight These have made catch and release mandatory on more and more rivers (including for all Welsh rivers), and restrictions on the type of fishing methods used

The legislation presently only allows for a 10-year ban with a five-year review This needs to change to a more flexible approach that can properly reflect the situation on the ground as it changes. The legislation needs to change to reflect that so that we can move to an adaptive management strategy for salmon populations

These byelaws are often ineffective They focus on restrictions, not on the desired outcome they profess to be addressing They are not properly enforced Too often they penalise lawabiding anglers while failing to control those who choose to ignore them They are often a poacher’s charter

The best protectors of our rivers and salmon are anglers. They know their rivers they understand what is happening to them and they are often the first to raise the alarm and spring into action They are there when too often the regulators are not

The solution lies in partnerships, between anglers, riparian owners, and those charged with regulating our rivers and fisheries Voluntary measures, agreed between partners, setting out clear objectives, underpinned by legally enforceable agreements, and monitored and enforced by all parties involved, are a more adaptable and effective approach to managing the impact of angling on fish stocks. Such measures are already in place on many rivers delivering rates of catch and release of over 95% of the fish caught The best people to manage the impact and behaviour of anglers are anglers Through measures such as information and education, clubs, syndicates, and fisheries have a range of options and sanctions available that are quick to implement, flexible, and do not require recourse to law Voluntary measures work

Effective stock assessments, and transparency of data

Key to the successful management and conservation of salmon is the provision of robust, reliable data that allows adaptive management to be implemented. Anglers have been key drivers through catch returns in the collection of data for decades But to get a complete picture the regulators and government need to accept a broader range of data to better understand what is happening in our rivers, our coast and at sea Data needs to be assessed across the salmon life cycle, from egg disposition, juvenile recruitment, smolt survival, returning adults, etc, together with smarter, and widespread monitoring of other factors impacting on salmon survival like water temperatures and pollutants

The EA’s stock assessment is currently under review. This review must deliver a stock assessment process that is robust transparent and has the confidence of anglers Its findings and the policy and management changes that flow from it must be agreed between the regulators and anglers Only then can the confidence of anglers and their acceptance of any temporary restrictions and other measures be assured

The data must be used to drive other measures to protect, conserve, and increase the abundance of salmon It must be the central measure for the success of the action plans (mentioned previously) and lead to actions focused on a range of pressures not only angling

Effective management of predation

Salmon are in crisis The reasons and the pressures upon them range across our rivers and seas One such is the impact of predation, in particular from fish-eating birds such as goosanders and cormorants It is arguable that if the other pressures on salmon were properly addressed, then the impact of predation would be mitigated While this may have merit, until they are adequately addressed, it is undeniable that predation does have a devastating impact on the populations of salmon

We have seen an explosion of predators that prey on salmon Some of this comes from measures to protect those species, in some cases at the expense of salmon, much is the result of factors such as climate change and the unavailability of other prey species

The balance between predator and prey has been disrupted due to direct and indirect human intervention Active management of predator species is required to ensure the conservation of salmon and sea trout stocks A rebalancing of conservation priorities is needed until such times as the population of salmon is healthy enough to withstand the impact of predation

We need to see better coordination around predation control across agencies responsible for the conservation of salmon In England, there appears to be a contradiction between conservation priorities, with the Environment Agency responsible for protecting salmon, while Natural England apply restrictions on the management of predators that are impacting salmon or licence the introduction of species that can have a detrimental impact on salmon without effective management plans monitoring and mitigation measures being in place This is the case even within protected areas where salmon are not only a notified species but are also not meeting required conservation targets

In Wales, NRW has approved an action plan to manage the impact fish-eating birds are having on salmon and sea trout numbers This includes a measure to provide greater protection during the smolt run Such a national approach to the management of fisheating birds is needed in England and NE should follow NRWs lead in this regard

Tackling the scourge of aquaculture

Poorly regulated aquaculture can have a devastating impact on salmon numbers Open cage salmon farming poses a range of threats, from pollution and poor water quality, interbreeding between wild and escaped salmon compromising the genetic integrity of wild salmon to increase mortality from sea lice infestation There needs to be a timebound programme for the removal of open-caged salmon farms and their replacement with closed systems

Whilst salmon aquaculture is not currently present in English and Welsh waters, its impact is still felt The taking of live wrasse from our coastal waters to supply the salmon aquaculture sector as cleaner fish is largely unregulated Tens of thousands of wrasse are now being taken from around the coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, and Sussex every year and shipped to Scotland Wrasse and their role within the ecosystem are poorly understood There needs to be more controls on the harvesting of wrasse IFCAs need to close any remaining live wrasse fisheries in English and Welsh waters

Effective management of all river users

We have witnessed a lot of renewed interest in our rivers Not only as important, complex ecosystems, but as places for play and recreation, most notably from paddle sports and “wild swimming” While there are many health and well-being benefits from being in and connecting with nature in this way, poorly managed, this growth of interest in our rivers as places for recreation as opposed to environments for wildlife can have severe negative consequences

At the wrong time of the year, or in the wrong river conditions, the utilisation of our rivers for recreation can severely damage salmon through disturbance, damage to their habitats and spawning grounds, impacts on water quality, wider degradation of the environment, etc

In addition without effective management these activities can severely impact the enjoyment of our sport and lead to major economic losses to the angler angling clubs fisheries, and riparian owners

Anglers are happy to share our waters, and the joy we get from them, in a managed, responsible way We call on the government to continue to support the best way to do this is through voluntary measures and agreements We call on all those who use our rivers to contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of those rivers and to ensure the protection of salmon and other critical wildlife is prioritised

Maximising the socio-economic benefits of salmon angling

Salmon angling is a major contributor to the rural economy of England and Wales, creating thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly, supporting tourism, and investing in healthy and productive environments Salmon angling can make a big contribution to the levelling up agenda, bringing employment in income to communities that would otherwise have few opportunities

A 2015 study on the benefits of angling in the southwest of England found that recreational angling contributed £51 million in gross added value to the region (2015 prices) and supported 2,300 FTE jobs A 2009 study commissioned by the Environment Agency concluded that should salmon angling in the same region come to an end then household income loss would be over £1 7 million (2009 prices) In addition, the Environment Agency has calculated that each rod caught salmon has a value of £8,000 for the UK economy

The development of salmon angling both in terms of increased participation and through the management and development of healthy, productive fisheries must be a priority for the governments of England and Wales as part of their rural development and tourism strategies

We call on the government to make the promotion and development of salmon angling a key part of its levelling up agenda and its support to rural communities The government needs to make salmon a key biodiversity indicator species as part of its legally binding commitment to halt the decline of biodiversity by 2030 and increase abundance by 10% by 2042 In doing so, it will allow the development of salmon as a natural capital benefit for rural communities in line with the recommendations of the Dasgupta Review

The Angling Trust is a member of the Missing Salmon Alliance