The Atlantic salmon, once a symbol of abundance and purity in British rivers, is now teetering on the edge of extinction. Once plentiful, their numbers have plummeted in recent decades, and today, salmon stocks in England and Wales are a shadow of their former selves. In 2024, the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency, alongside the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, painted a grim picture for this iconic species. According to their latest report, a staggering 90% of wild river salmon are classified as “at risk” or “probably at risk.” This classification is a wake-up call, indicating that salmon populations have fallen so low that they may not be able to sustain themselves in the wild.
A Dramatic Decline: What’s Happened to Atlantic Salmon?
The Atlantic salmon’s story is one of dramatic decline. Just 40 years ago, an estimated 1.4 million salmon would return annually to the UK’s rivers. Today, that number has fallen by two-thirds, leaving us with barely 400,000 fish. This steep drop has raised alarms not just in the UK but globally, as the fate of the salmon reflects the broader environmental crisis we face. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) even changed the salmon’s status from “least concern” to “endangered” in Great Britain, signifying the urgency of the situation.
The numbers are stark, but behind these statistics is a more profound issue—how have we allowed a species that once thrived in rivers and streams to face such dire straits? The decline in salmon stocks is symptomatic of a broader environmental collapse, driven by multiple, interconnected factors: pollution, destructive agricultural practices, climate change, and overfishing. Understanding each of these elements provides insight into why the salmon is struggling and what can be done to reverse the trend.
Why Are Salmon in Trouble?
Atlantic salmon habitats are under siege, and the factors contributing to their demise are diverse and far-reaching.
Agricultural Pollution and Habitat Destruction
One of the primary culprits in the decline of wild salmon populations is the impact of modern agricultural practices. Run-offs from farms release chemicals, fertilizers, and sediment into rivers, severely degrading water quality. Algae blooms, fed by excess nutrients from agricultural waste, choke riverbeds, making it difficult for young salmon to survive. These algae prevent the riverbed from supporting the invertebrates and insects that salmon depend on for food, effectively starving the fish.
Additionally, industrial infrastructure projects like dams and roads fragment natural waterways, blocking crucial migration routes for salmon. Historically, Atlantic salmon journeyed from rivers to the North Atlantic and back, but these migration paths are now interrupted, making it nearly impossible for salmon to complete their life cycle.
Climate Change: A Heating Crisis
Climate change plays a central role in the salmon’s predicament. Rising global temperatures have caused water temperatures in rivers and oceans to increase, and this spells disaster for salmon. Warmer water holds less oxygen, making it difficult for salmon to breathe. This oxygen depletion forces the fish to travel further in search of cooler waters, but those habitats are becoming increasingly scarce. Without these oxygen-rich waters, salmon populations grow smaller, and as their numbers dwindle, the genetic pool shrinks, reducing their chances of survival.
Moreover, climate change affects ocean currents and ecosystems, diminishing the salmon’s food sources. In the North Atlantic, the marine life that salmon feed on, including zooplankton and small fish, are becoming less abundant as waters warm. This leaves the salmon in a precarious position—hungry and unable to reproduce in sufficient numbers to sustain future generations.
The Impact of Fish Farming
At first glance, fish farming—or aquaculture—seems like a potential solution to dwindling wild salmon stocks. After all, if we can produce salmon in controlled environments, it might reduce the strain on wild populations. However, the reality is far more complex, and some argue that fish farming may be doing more harm than good.
Salmon farms, where fish are raised in crowded sea cages, often become breeding grounds for diseases and parasites like sea lice. These parasites not only affect the farmed salmon but can spread to wild populations when fish escape from the cages, further threatening already vulnerable stocks. Disease outbreaks are a constant challenge in these farms, and treatment methods like antibiotics and vaccines can have long-term negative effects on both farmed and wild salmon.
Additionally, the waste from salmon farms often accumulates in the waters around the farms, contributing to a process known as eutrophication. Eutrophication depletes oxygen in the water, exacerbating the very problem that wild salmon are already facing. Algae blooms flourish, and marine ecosystems suffer, creating a cycle of environmental degradation that ultimately harms both farmed and wild salmon.
Bycatch: Collateral Damage
While targeted fishing of wild salmon has decreased due to regulatory measures, the unintentional capture of salmon—known as bycatch—remains a significant threat. Bycatch occurs when salmon are accidentally caught in nets aimed at other species. These fish, not recorded or reported in many cases, are often discarded, injured, or killed, reducing the wild population further. Bycatch is a pervasive issue not only for salmon but for other species like sea trout and even seals and seabirds, all of which get entangled in fishing operations.
Overfishing: A Historical Issue
While overfishing is not as pronounced today due to stricter regulations, it played a significant role in the early declines of Atlantic salmon populations. For centuries, Atlantic salmon was a prized catch in European rivers. As demand increased, so did fishing efforts, leading to unsustainable practices that devastated wild stocks. Despite modern conservation efforts, the damage done by overfishing lingers, with the species still struggling to recover.
Can Fish Farming Make Up for the Losses?
Fish farming—once hailed as a solution to declining wild stocks—is now under scrutiny. While aquaculture has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, its environmental costs have raised concerns. Roughly 70% of the world’s salmon is now farm-raised, but many experts warn that the intensive farming methods used are part of the problem.
Farmed salmon are raised in overcrowded, unnatural conditions, making them more susceptible to diseases. Sea lice and other pathogens can spread like wildfire in these close quarters. Additionally, the antibiotics used to treat these diseases may lead to drug-resistant bacteria, not only impacting the salmon but also posing risks to human health. The environmental impact extends beyond the farms themselves, as the waste from these operations pollutes the surrounding waters, disrupting delicate ecosystems.
The confined conditions also lead to behavioral changes in the fish, which may affect their ability to survive in the wild if they escape from the farms. Escaped farmed salmon pose a genetic threat to wild populations, as interbreeding can weaken the gene pool and further reduce the resilience of wild salmon.
Should We Stop Eating Salmon?
Given these challenges, the question arises: Should we stop eating salmon to give the species a chance to recover? The answer is not straightforward. While reducing consumption of wild salmon may help ease the pressure on dwindling populations, completely eliminating salmon from our diets is neither practical nor necessary.
Instead, the focus should be on more sustainable practices. Organizations like the Missing Salmon Alliance are advocating for changes that would protect wild salmon while still allowing responsible consumption. This includes supporting fisheries that implement stricter environmental controls, reducing agricultural run-off, and investing in technologies that make fish farming more sustainable.
Is There Hope for Atlantic Salmon?
The fate of the Atlantic salmon is a microcosm of the broader environmental crisis we face today. Climate change, pollution, and unsustainable farming practices are not just threatening salmon, but countless other species as well. However, with the right interventions—such as better regulation of agriculture, improved fish farming methods, and stronger conservation efforts—there is still hope that we can reverse the decline and save this iconic species.
The real challenge is in balancing our desire for salmon with the need to protect the environment. If we can find that balance, perhaps the Atlantic salmon can once again thrive in the rivers and oceans it once called home.
