2016
The Environment Agency’s Test and Itchen salmon counters have recorded the largest runs of returning salmon since consistent records began in 1990 The Environment Agency's Test and Itchen salmon counters have recorded the largest runs of returning salmon since consistent records began in 1990. The estimates for the Test and Itchen for 1 May -31 December were 2,007 and 903 respectively. The Test's previous best was 1,487 in 2008 and the Itchen's previous best was 779 in 2010. The 2015 runs are a big improvement on the worst year in the last 25 years, 1991, when approximately 400 and 50 […]
The current regulatory regime for fish farms gives very little protection to wild salmon and sea trout and is untenable Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) has today launched an online petition calling for statutory tighter regulation of salmon farms to protect wild salmon and sea trout. The public petition "Protecting wild salmonids from sea lice from Scottish salmon farms", which is hosted on the Scottish Parliament's website, requests the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to strengthen the legislative and regulatory control of marine fish farms in order to protect wild salmon and sea trout. The petition is […]
From 29 February – 4 March 2016 organisations across Britain are working together to raise awareness of invasive non-native species and prevent their spread. Find out what's going on and how to get involved below, and keep up to date on Twitter by searching for #InvasivesWeek and following @CheckCleanDryGB. Read more at www.nonnativespecies.org/invasivespeciesweek
The World Fish Migration Day (WFMD) is a one day global-local event to create awareness on the importance of open rivers and migratory fish. Connecting Fish, Rivers and People. The World Fish Migration Day (WFMD) is a one day global-local event to create awareness on the importance of open rivers and migratory fish. This event is celebrated for the second time. Over 1000 organizations around the globe are involved. Go to www.worldfishmigrationday.com.
Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) called on leading figures in the water and conservation industry earlier this month to identify a number of feasible actions that will ensure the future restoration and protection of the world renowned Upper Itchen chalk stream. More than 30 members of organisations ranging from the Environment Agency and Natural England to Portsmouth University and Aquascience Consultancy as well as third sector bodies such as the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wessex Chalk Stream Trust and the Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust, attended this seminal conference organised by S & TC UK. Addressing the […]
Challenge to supermarket to replace earlier ‘warm words’ with robust action S&TCS calls on Sainsbury's to refuse to accept farmed fish from sea-lice infested farms and to support the S&TCS campaign to change the law to protect wild salmon and sea trout Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) has again had to take Sainsbury's to task for stocking on its shelves salmon from Scottish salmon farms where sea lice infestation threatens wild salmon and sea trout. A year ago, when challenged by S&TCS, Sainsbury's acknowledged that the sea lice levels had risen to unprecedented levels on some of its supplier's […]
Rivers and streams across Wales are the life-blood of the country for both people and wildlife Rivers and streams across Wales are the life-blood of the country for both people and wildlife. But these once pristine rivers are facing a range of ecological threats, which if not reduced could render many Welsh rivers unfit for the wild fish and other aquatic wildlife that depend on clean freshwaters to survive. To help highlight the current plight of Wales' freshwaters, Helen Jobson, has recently joined Salmon & Trout Conservation Cymru (S&TC Cymru), as its Wales Officer. In her new role, Helen will […]
Scottish Government called upon to improve dramatically the protection of wild salmon and sea trout from harm caused by poorly-managed marine salmon farms and remedy breach of European law Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) has today submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission over the failure of the Scottish Government to do enough to control the sea lice parasite issue on Scottish salmon farms, which threatens the survival of key wild salmon and sea trout populations. Wild fish conservation bodies in Scotland have very long standing and widespread concerns about lack of appropriate measures being put in place […]
For the first time our once pristine, gin-clear English chalkstreams and rivers have been put under the microscope in a national survey to compare and investigate whether they are as healthy as they should be. And the results are truly shocking. The 2015 Riverfly Census, undertaken by Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) has identified that there were only 14 pristine, unimpacted sites out of a total of 120 sites sampled in the survey on rivers across England. According to fisheries charity, Salmon & Trout Conservation UK, the threat to our rivers has moved from industrial pollution to a […]
“The only significant difference between the two coasts is the presence of aquaculture on the West” Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) has today published a new analysis of official wild salmon rod catch statistics, which confirms that rivers in the salmon farming heartland of the West coast are lagging far behind those of the essentially aquaculture-free East coast. The findings show that: The five year average catch for the East coast rod fishery (from Tweed to Cape Wrath) increased by approximately 40% between 1970 and 2014. The five year average catch for the West coast rod fishery (from Cape […]
Scottish Government has laxer standards on control of sea lice parasites than any other salmon farming country in the North Atlantic Scotland came under heavy fire and was publicly shamed last week at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the inter-governmental North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) over its continuing failure to have in place effective regulation to control numbers of deadly sea lice parasites on salmon farms – in order to prevent deadly infestation of vulnerable wild salmon and sea trout. The Meeting in Germany included a full day Special Session “Addressing impacts of salmon farming on wild Atlantic salmon” […]
A three year grant from the John Ellerman Foundation has enabled leading fisheries charity, Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) to strengthen its science team. This newly created post will help to further drive forward its ongoing campaign to clean up our rivers and precious chalkstreams. Lauren Mattingley, who is the new scientific assistant with S&TC UK based in Fordingbridge will support the research work of both Dr Janina Gray, as well as Nick Measham, who is overseeing the national Riverfly Census, which reported the shocking state of our rivers and chalkstreams this year. Lauren who achieved an MSc […]
Developed by Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) in conjunction with Salisbury & District Angling Club The national 2015 Riverfly Census carried out by Salmon & Trout Conservation UK, which identified many of the current woes affecting some of our precious rivers and chalkstreams has led to the development of an innovative mobile phone App, which will help users to monitor invertebrate populations in their own rivers and help to identify pollution threats. Developed by Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) in conjunction with Salisbury & District Angling Club, this highly specialised new App uses high quality digital […]
The innovative new mobile App developed by Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) in conjunction with Salisbury & District Angling Club, which was launched last month has already been upgraded to make it one of the most effective weapons to help tackle river pollution. Version two of the mobile App is free to anyone who has already downloaded the earlier version. This powerful new upgrade means that it is now possible to use the App even without internet access such as on the river bank. The App provides an interactive visual guide to help identify river invertebrate larvae. Best […]
In recent years the rate of new introductions of invasive freshwater species to Britain has increased dramatically In recent years the rate of new introductions of invasive freshwater species to Britain has increased dramatically. Following the 1992 creation of a canal linking the Danube and Rhine, numerous species from the Ponto-Caspian basin have spread rapidly into Western Europe. Many of these species, which include killer shrimp, quagga and zebra mussel, are highly invasive. Before the canal was built, a new Ponto-Caspian species was introduced to Britain every 100 years but the rate has increased to one new species every 18 […]
Two intrepid anglers, who, over the past decade have been battling against all odds to restore the once prized River Lark in Suffolk are doing just this in an effort to add the final pieces to a long and arduous journey of recovery. Translocating nine million Blue winged olive eggs, Serratella Ignita, and transporting them 400 miles in a round trip, does not sound like a job for the faint-hearted. But two intrepid anglers, who, over the past decade have been battling against all odds to restore the once prized River Lark in Suffolk are doing just this in an […]
The recently published State of Nature 2016 report records the decline in species as habitat degrades across the UK. Salmon & Trout Conservation UK’s Riverfly Census reinforces the State of Nature’s sombre message in exposing the continuing fall in aquatic invertebrate species as our rivers’ water quality declines. Aquatic invertebrates matter. They are the foundation of the food chain for fish, birds and mammals which inhabit wetlands. River life is dependent on a thriving aquatic invertebrate population. Invertebrates are also excellent measurers of water quality: they spend a massive proportion of their lives in water and different species are sensitive […]
Leading fisheries charity, Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) has brought forward its programme of river invertebrate monitoring on three rivers in Wales to support efforts by Natural Resource Wales, who are investigating the unprecedented threats facing rivers and salmon stocks in Wales. Shockingly, a recent report identifies that 61 per cent of Wales’ water bodies do not meet ‘Good Ecological Status’ as required under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Earlier this year, S&TC UK’s Riverfly Census in England, revealed that many rivers and chalkstreams across the country were in a poor state because of pollution caused by human […]
The UK’s major angling and fisheries conservation groups have today published a joint paper setting out their concerns over any moves to water down EU environmental legislation and urging the government to seize opportunities for reform of policies regarding farm subsidies and fisheries management in the wake of the Brexit vote earlier this year. The UK’s major angling and fisheries conservation groups have today published a joint paper setting out their concerns over any moves to water down EU environmental legislation and urging the government to seize opportunities for reform of policies regarding farm subsidies and fisheries management in the […]
The Institute of Economic Affairs has recently reported that Brussels has fallen victim to environmentalists’ lobbying and introduced unnecessary regulation for agriculture which has had little benefit for consumers and has ‘created deadweight costs’ through bureaucracy. The Institute of Economic Affairs has recently reported that Brussels has fallen victim to environmentalists’ lobbying and introduced unnecessary regulation for agriculture which has had little benefit for consumers and has ‘created deadweight costs’ through bureaucracy. This, added to the fact that farm subsidies have been increasingly tied to environmental requirements imposed on farmers, has led to increased costs for both consumers and taxpayers. […]
A group of sixteen farmers and their advisers gathered together last week with Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) and FWAG (Norfolk) to discuss the shocking results of the recent Riverfly Census that was carried out by S&TC UK on rivers across the country including the Wensum. A group of sixteen farmers and their advisers gathered together last week with Salmon & Trout Conservation UK (S&TC UK) and FWAG (Norfolk) to discuss the shocking results of the recent Riverfly Census that was carried out by S&TC UK on rivers across the country including the Wensum. Explaining the results, Nick Measham, […]
A remarkable conservation award, set up in the memory of Anne Voss-Bark, by Salmon & Trout Conservation UK and the Arundell Arms Hotel was presented to Robin Knight, from Winkleigh, Devon; an up and coming star in river conservation circles. Anne Voss-Bark was a renowned river conservationist, close friend of Ted Hughes and one of the best known anglers in the West Country. The award was presented to Robin Knight at the Arundall Arms in Devon, by Anne’s son, Adam Fox-Edwards, who now runs the hotel. For over 50 years, Anne Voss-Bark turned this initially rather run-down hotel into an […]
Integrity of Special Area of Conservation for wild salmon on Harris under threat. Other important wild fisheries also at risk. Integrity of Special Area of Conservation for wild salmon on Harris under threat. Other important wild fisheries also at risk Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland calls on Scottish Government to intervene to protect wild fish Marine Harvest salmon farms in the Hebrides and Wester Ross are currently host to rampant Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD), which can cause severe losses amongst affected fish. At least four sites are impacted including West Loch Tarbert and East Loch Tarbert on Harris, Loch Greshornish […]
“The Herald”, one of Scotland’s leading daily newspapers, made our report on the devastation caused by the Amoebic Gill Disease outbreak at Marine Harvest salmon farms headline news. "The Herald", one of Scotland's leading daily newspapers, made our report on the devastation caused by the Amoebic Gill Disease outbreak at Marine Harvest salmon farms headline news, and further endorsed our campaign in its editorial. Read both: Fears deadly salmon illness will spread out to wild stock Action needed to stem tide of disease in salmon farms
Scottish Government first introduced classifications for the country’s salmon rivers in September 2015. These applied for the 2016 season. The classifications put all the rivers in the west Highlands and inner Hebrides in the worst-performing category (no 3), with wild salmon stocks not reaching what are known as ‘conservation limits’ – a measure of the overall health of the population. The categories and criteria are as follows: Category 1 rivers: “exploitation is sustainable therefore no additional management action is currently required”. Category 2 rivers: “Management action is necessary to reduce exploitation; mandatory catch and release will not be required in […]
Scottish salmon farm industry supplying UK supermarkets from regions where rampant sea lice numbers pose major threat to the survival of wild salmon and sea trout. In the run up to Christmas, Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) is challenging two major supermarkets to live up to their claims of ‘environmental responsibility’ and stop putting Scottish farmed salmon on their shelves from regions in the west Highlands and Islands where sea lice infestation is still rampant, putting wild salmon and sea trout populations at severe risk. The Co-Op and Sainsbury’s have been selling farmed salmon from fish farms within regions […]
Paul Knight, S&TC CEO has sent the following letter to the BBC after the corporation aired its Christmas Supermarket Secrets programme: We were appalled to hear the promotion given to smoked farmed salmon by Gregg Wallace in the recent BBC programme, Christmas Supermarket Secrets. Ironically, this came at the same time as Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS), the Scottish section of Salmon & Trout Conservation UK, issued a press release challenge to certain supermarkets to stop buying farmed salmon from Scottish companies with an unacceptable record of parasite control. I am enclosing the press release with this letter but […]
Despite its international designation as a Special Area of Conservation for salmon as well as endangered fish species like lampreys and bullhead, this was not enough to protect the stunning river Teifi from the devastating agricultural pollution incident that began on Saturday (17th December). Natural Resources Wales’s (NRW) ongoing investigation, into what is believed to have been a slurry leak in the Tregaron area, has found at least 1,000 fish have been killed. It is reported that all the salmon and sea trout in a two-mile stretch of the River Teifi have been killed by the pollution, with NRW saying […]
Conservationists from the charity, Salmon & Trout Conservation Cymru (S&TCC), are shocked by the devastating impact of a pollution incident on the River Teifi, which has killed vast numbers of fish and potentially other wildlife on a six mile stretch of this supposedly specially protected river. Despite its international designation as a Special Area of Conservation for salmon as well as endangered fish species like lampreys and bullhead, this was not enough to protect the stunning river Teifi from the devastating agricultural pollution incident that began on Saturday (17th December). Natural Resources Wales’s (NRW) ongoing investigation, into what is believed […]