23 Apr 2026
Photo by Brandon on Unsplash Scientists are increasingly detecting common human drugs making their way into rivers, lakes and oceans around the world, with largely unknown consequences for aquatic wildlife. A first-of-its-kind study has revealed traces of cocaine polluting rivers and lakes may accumulate in the brains of salmon and disrupt their behaviour, with […]
26 Mar 2026
Image description: Salmon jumping upstream. Image by Danny Moore from Pixabay. Migratory freshwater fish populations vital to river health and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people are in freefall and risk collapse, a major UN assessment has warned. Freshwater fish face multiple threats and are “among the most imperiled vertebrates”, according to the most comprehensive assessment to […]
26 Jun 2025
Image description: Shoals of juvenile salmon, known as smolts struggling with barriers in the River Itchen. Image by Kieran Gillingham. The Environment Agency and partners are looking for ways to improve fish passage past barriers and restore the lower River Itchen by Southampton. Each spring, shoals of juvenile salmon, known as smolts, begin their […]
18 Feb 2025
Sales of Scottish salmon to other countries totalled £844 million last year, according to statistics released by the UK Government. These export numbers show a dramatic increase of 45% compared to last year and smashed the previous record set in 2019 at £618 million. This year Scottish salmon was exported to 48 countries and remains […]
11 Feb 2025
Norway is the largest producer of farmed salmon in the world, exporting an estimated 1.2 million tonnes annually. However, wild salmon populations have more than halved, dropping from over 1 million in 1980 to around 500,000 today. While the climate crisis presents a key threat to wild salmon by reducing habitat availability and lowering population […]
15 Oct 2024
Atlantic salmon stocks in England have reached new lows according to a new report (Monday 7 October). Below minimum levels According to the Atlantic Salmon Stock Assessment for 2024 from the Environment Agency (EA) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), 90% of principal salmon rivers in England are classified as either […]
09 Oct 2024
From The Times An annual salmon count has found the lowest number of juveniles in one of the country’s most important rivers for the species. The steep decline uncovered during the counting and tagging of juvenile wild Atlantic salmon on the River Frome in Dorset has caused significant concern among scientists running the project. It […]
27 Jun 2023
The Environment Agency has urged anglers to report catches or sightings of invasive Pacific pink salmon, which are expected to appear in UK waters this year. In 2019 and 2021, there were numerous sightings of invasive pink salmon in UK waters and – with the breed having a fixed, two-year life cycle and generally spawning […]
