STATE OF NORTH ATLANTIC SALMON FOREWORD FROM HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES NASCO is an international organization, established by an Environmental change and human impacts across the Northern inter-governmental Convention in 1984. The objective of Hemisphere are placing salmon at risk. The International Year NASCO is to conserve, restore, enhance and rationally manage of the Salmon (IYS) aims to bring people together to share and Atlantic salmon through international co-operation taking develop knowledge more effectively, raise awareness and take account of the best available scientific information. action. 2019 is the focal year of the IYS. www.nasco.int www.yearofthesalmon.org 3 FOREWORD FROM HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES INTRODUCING NORTH ATLANTIC SALMON Salmon at sea OCEAN Returning Smolts adult Parr Fry Spawning adult Alevins RIVER A SPECIAL LIFE CYCLE The North Atlantic salmon begins life in the rivers of countries that surround the Atlantic basin – from Portugal, Spain and New England (USA) in the south of its range to sub-Arctic Canada and Russia in the north. Spawning occurs in the autumn and winter, with female salmon depositing between 1,000 and 2,000 eggs (ova) per kilogram of body weight into a nest (or redd) made on the gravel bottom of rivers. Hatching occurs the following spring. The young salmon (or alevins) are nourished by the yolk sac until they emerge from the gravel as fry to commence feeding. After the first year of life, the young fish are known as parr. Following a period in fresh water, which can range from one to seven years, the parr undergo an enormous physiological, morphological and behavioural change, known as smoltification, that allows them to adapt to the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean. These smolts, as they are now known, migrate to the ocean in the spring and, after one or more years at sea, return as adult salmon to their rivers of origin to spawn. Once back in fresh water, they change colour to a mottled reddish- brown. The male fish also change shape, developing a prominent hook or kype on the lower jaw. Most salmon die after spawning, but a small proportion, mainly females, will spawn again following another trip to sea. Illustration: Jenny Proudfoot 4 5 STATUS OF WILD SALMON PRIOR TO 1990 FROM 2007 TO 2016 1,000 eggs one salmon surviving 2,000 eggs one salmon surviving = first year at sea = first year at sea 10 SALMON 8 ABUNDANCE From 1983 to 2016, there was an alarming decline 6 in salmon numbers prior to any fishery Photograph: Nick Hawkins Photograph: Further data on the 4 tonnage of wild salmon in Millions of Salmon Millions of specific areas of the North A SPECIES IN CRISIS Atlantic prior to 1983 highlights an even more 2 dramatic decline than SIGNIFICANT The spectacular life cycle and historic abundance of Atlantic salmon REDUCTIONS IN HARVEST shown here have embedded the species into the social, cultural and economic fabric SINCE THE MID-1970s of communities around the North Atlantic. But, despite this iconic status, wild salmon numbers are at crisis levels, with reduced numbers 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 of returning adults being seen in most rivers. Nick Hawkins Photograph: 3.5 MILLION Year salmon peak harvest in 1973 BETWEEN 1983 AND 2016 – a period of Despite these significant fishery just 33 years – numbers of wild Atlantic reductions, numbers of Atlantic salmon 2 MILLION salmon prior to any fishing taking place continue to decline. We know this in harvested annually until (known as the pre-fishery abundance, part through the tagging of several the late 1980s or PFA) fell by more than half. The rate million fish each year for assessment of decline was most dramatic from and research purposes. 1983 to 1990, when salmon numbers It now (since 2007) takes about double Fewer than fell from around seven million to the amount of eggs to produce one five million fish. And while the rate adult (compared to the period prior to 0.5 MILLION of decline since 1990 has slowed, a harvested annually in 1990) that will return to that same river further 33% of salmon have been lost recent years to spawn – an indication of the multiple – meaning the number in 2016 was pressures facing the species throughout estimated to be around 3.38 million. its complex life cycle. During the same period (1983 to THESE NUMBERS 2016), there was a marked reduction REPRESENT ALL FISHERIES, in exploitation. Prior to the 1960s, These are challenging times for wild NOT JUST ‘AT SEA’ countries made their own rules about salmon harvest with no international Atlantic salmon. Abundance remains discussions. In October 1983, the Convention for the Conservation of low, or even critically low in some areas. Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean – A special fish (clockwise from main): a magnificent male Atlantic salmon; a clutch of salmon eggs; fine the birth of the North Atlantic Salmon In these circumstances, our focus must salmon habitat in Atlantic Canada; fin tags are a key research tool Conservation Organization (NASCO) – Nick Hawkins Photograph: created a large protected zone free of be on those factors which we are able targeted fisheries for Atlantic salmon in most areas beyond 12 nautical miles to control. from the coasts. JÓANNES HANSEN, PRESIDENT, NASCO. This resulted in an immediate reduction in the commercial salmon fishery which, at its peak in 1973, harvested some 3.5 million salmon. 2.7 million Prusov Sergey Photograph: FISH TAGGED OR MARKED ANNUALLY for assessment and research purposes 6 7 STATUS OF WILD SALMON BARENTS SEA NORWEGIAN SEA Sweden Note: as Iceland is not currently a Party to the NASCO Convention, Greenland Iceland’s rivers are not included in the rivers map. Finland Faroe Islands Russian Norway Federation LABRADOR SEA Denmark 341 RIVERS THE STATUS OF SALMON STOCKS IN NORTH ATLANTIC RIVERS Ireland currently sustainable Canada United Kingdom Each circle or dot on this map of the of Europe, Iceland, Norway and the North Atlantic represents a river, while Russian Federation migrate to the Germany 1014 RIVERS the colour of the dot shows the status Norwegian and Barents Seas. The dashed currently at risk of the population (or stock) of salmon migration lines on the map highlight how NORTH ATLANTIC in each river. a small proportion of Atlantic salmon travel even greater distances across the The arrows on this map indicate the North Atlantic to feed. migration routes of Atlantic salmon from 174 RIVERS Note: The NASCO Rivers Database classifications of stock no longer have salmon rivers of origin to marine feeding areas. status have been consolidated for the purposes of this Salmon spend at least one winter at sea document. Rivers identified in the NASCO database as ‘Not at Migration routes before making the return journey to Risk’ and ‘Low Risk’ are shown here as ‘currently sustainable’. France Rivers identified in the NASCO database as ‘Moderate Risk’, spawn. The majority of salmon from the ‘High Risk’ and ‘Artificially Sustained’ are shown here as Currently sustainable ‘currently at risk’. The full NASCO Rivers Database can be western Atlantic migrate to the Labrador found at www.nasco.int Currently at risk 830 RIVERS no data available Sea, while most salmon from the rivers No longer have salmon No data available 8 United States 10 of America Portugal Spain STOCK STATUS FOR VALUE OF SALMON 2,359 RIVERS IN: Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Greenland, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, Scotland, Spain, SALMON IN RIVERS Sweden, USA, Wales. While no two rivers are exactly alike, the same can also be said for INDIGENOUS CONNECTIONS salmon populations. After their ocean migration, Atlantic salmon 14% currently sustainable For centuries, fjords and rivers along As with the Sámi, the Mi’kmaq fear the return to their rivers of origin, even to the same part of the river the North Atlantic coastline have loss of traditional food and cultural in which they hatched, to spawn. This has enabled the formation of sustained indigenous communities with values as a result of the declining salmon genetically distinct populations among and within rivers, adapted 43% currently at risk returning salmon, making the species populations and the conservative – CNSS Emmanuel Lerbret Photograph: to the local conditions. an integral part of their culture, identity, harvest regulations imposed upon the diet, economy, social relations and fishery. This situation can be found with spiritual practices. indigenous communities across the IN THE EARLY STAGES of their life cycle, North Atlantic to create NASCO’s Rivers no longer have salmon 7% range of Atlantic salmon from the Inuit Salmon stories: the salmon has long been an important Atlantic salmon spend between one and Database. In total, 2,359 rivers have been One of the world’s most productive in northern Canada and Greenland to the part of cultural life for the Mi’kmaq people in Canada’s seven years in the rivers that they hatch reported on. Atlantic salmon rivers is the Tana / Atlantic provinces (main); an outline of a giant salmon Penobscot in the USA. marked on the banks of the Loire-Allier River during a in. When they eventually venture to no data available Tenojoki / Deatnu (in the Sámi language), Of these, 174 rivers (or 7%) no longer 36% leg of the 2017 Tour de France (above) sea, they travel thousands of kilometres a river that forms part of the border have their once unique populations of to feeding grounds in the Norwegian between Norway and Finland in Sápmi (a spawning salmon. This is largely due to or Barents Seas or to the coasts of cultural region in the northern parts of human activities.