March 27th 2023.
Sir David Attenborough's Wild Isles television series will be focusing on the declining population of Scotland's wild Atlantic salmon on Sunday. He will be using the show to emphasize that there has been a 70% reduction in 25 years, and the species could be wiped out in the next two decades. The Missing Salmon Alliance is using the lead-up to the Wild Isles episode to draw attention to the perils the fish face, such as river contamination, parasites, and predation, as well as poor water quality, low water quantity, warming water, and manmade barriers like dams.
Mark Bilsby, the Chief Executive of the Atlantic Salmon Trust, spoke out, saying "This amazing species is dealing with a range of issues everywhere they go. They need us to ensure their future. They are reminding us of much bigger problems and we need to act before it is too late. We cannot fathom a world
without wild Atlantic salmon in our rivers so we must consider our actions now."
Dylan Roberts, the head of the Salmon & Trout Research Centre at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, further commented, "Many people are unaware of the critical state of wild Atlantic salmon because they are exposed to farmed salmon at the grocery store and on restaurant menus. The numbers of wild salmon in our rivers are now below sustainable population levels and are truly at risk."
Read more about fishing on Scottish Field's field sports pages, and check out Michael Wigan's fishing column in the April issue of Scottish Field magazine for more information.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
