New research from the UK Environment Agency (EA) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) shows that salmon stocks in England have fallen to their lowest level since records began.
According to the Atlantic Salmon Stock Assessment for 2024, 90 per cent of principal salmon rivers in England are classified as either “at risk” or “probably at risk,” meaning salmon numbers are below minimum levels to support sustainable populations.
Atlantic salmon is an indicator species, reflecting the health and cleanliness of marine and freshwater ecosystems. The EA said shrinking salmon population is a warning sign that much more work is needed to improve the natural environment.
The dramatic decline of salmon stocks is an international trend, with similar findings reported in Ireland, Iceland, Sweden and Canada. However, the UK shows the most significant decline.
Agricultural pollution, sedimentation, and chemical runoff from industries, wastewater, and roads are degrading their habitats, as well as barriers to migration and water scarcity from abstraction.
The EA said action is needed across all pressures impacting salmon. It is therefore calling on all stakeholders from landowners and farmers, to the sectors of energy, waste and water to do more to protect the species.
"Forty years ago an estimated 1.4 million salmon returned to UK rivers each year," said EA Chair Alan Lovell. "We are now at barely a third of that – a new low and evidence of the wider, growing biodiversity crisis."