Friday 31 May 2002

Populations of wild Atlantic salmon have declined by 67 per cent in the past 30 years and are becoming increasingly susceptible to industrial impacts.

"With wild Atlantic salmon stocks fading fast in countries like Germany, France and Spain, and completely disappearing in some rivers on the other side of the Atlantic, it's time to act to prevent further declines," said Tom Grasso, U.S. Director of WWF's Marine Conservation Program. "Since WWF released its status report last year, North Atlantic Salmon Organization (NASCO) nations have made limited progress toward saving the species. Delegates have been discussing implementation of the precautionary approach to multi-national salmon management for four years now. The time has come for tangible action before the King of Fish disappears from more of its North Atlantic range."

Marine conservation experts, from Canada, Norway, USA and UK, are challenging North Atlantic nations in advance of next week's NASCO meeting, citing explosive growth of salmon farming as one of the most critical issues facing conservation of the species. Farmed salmon production in the North Atlantic has grown to 660,000 tons in recent years, swamping wild stocks.

"Research shows that farmed fish negatively affect wild Atlantic salmon. Escaped farmed fish interbreed with the wild salmon, which weakens the wild gene pools. They also compete for food and habitat. Confinement of fish in sea cages contributes to the spread of disease and parasites," said Bill Taylor, President of the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF).

"Voluntary self-regulation of the salmon aquaculture industry simply isn't enough. Plus, it is leaving responsible operators at a disadvantage." said Taylor. "NASCO governments must create a level playing field by implementing legislation that makes environmentally-sustainable aquaculture mandatory across the industry."

WWF, ASF, and other NGO coalition members, support NASCO governments adopting a distinctive code of conduct for aquaculture that requires environmentally sustainable practices with mandatory compliance, transparent legislation, and stiff penalties for offenders. Further recommendations by the NGOs include adopting "fish-farming free zones" to protect wild salmon rivers and bays, intensifying netting restrictions in the species' feeding grounds off the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and along the coasts of the UK and Ireland.

Ocean commercial fisheries for wild Atlantic salmon still exist despite the salmon's endangered status on both sides of the Atlantic. Fisheries on the wild salmon's migratory feeding grounds, off the Faroe Islands and West Greenland, catch salmon coming from NASCO nations. Despite major improvements by individual countries toward salmon habitat restoration in natal rivers, salmon stocks continue to decline.

"While we welcome the restraint shown by the fishing communities in Greenland and the Faroes in recent years, far too many salmon of North American and European origin are being taken in the Greenland fisheries," said Chris Poupard, representing NGOs accredited by NASCO. "Governments must seek long-term effective closures of both the Faeroe Islands and West Greenland fisheries through new international conservation agreements that give fishermen fair and equitable compensation funded by NASCO nations," added Poupard.