October 2, 2020

Wild salmon spawning in Irish rivers increasing amid COVID-19 lockdown

While Ireland's wild salmon population continues to decline in the long term, the COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in more fish entering the country's rivers.

According to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), anecdotal evidence showed decreased predation during the coronavirus lockdown period, allowing more fish from the Atlantic to spawn in Ireland's rivers, SeafoodSource reported.

"Anecdotally, the fishing has been good on many fisheries at various times, we await the data to support this," IFI said in the report.

Nevertheless, it added, the longer-term trend of population decline of Ireland's wild salmon population remains.

"We are witnessing the continued decline in salmon abundance in Ireland. Commercial salmon harvest numbers from 2007-2019 show that while there has been highs and lows over the years, overall we have witnessed a 35 percent decline in the commercial salmon fishery from 2007 to 2019," IFI said.

IFI noted that declines in both the angling and commercial fishery are due to several factors including climate change; mortality of stocks at sea, which include predation by seals, diseases, and parasites; and marine pollution.

IFI said measures such as the application of catch-and-release techniques and investment in habitat development and other similar conservation-focused initiatives are required to more protect and conserve salmon as well as sea trout.