with response by NASF

I thought your article on conservation efforts to bring wild salmon back to Britain’s rivers was interesting (“Floundering”, November 7th). But the main factor that reduces the survival of salmon is excessive exploitation by mixed-stock fisheries in coastal waters. A degree in rocket science is not needed to launch an immediate remedy: all killing of wild Atlantic salmon by any method should cease for the next three years. This should ensure a robust biodiversity and help stocks return to their historical abundance. Although the salmon-runs verge on total failure in British and Norwegian rivers, 2015 saw a record year in Iceland, which has no mixed-stock fisheries.

The seas off Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands are the great feeding grounds for Atlantic salmon. By establishing conservation agreements over the past 20 years we have saved more than 10m salmon native to European and North American rivers. It is so dispiriting knowing that tonnes of fish are being slaughtered by coastal nets around Scotland, north-east England and northern Norway, where mismanagement supports indiscriminate fisheries and hastens depletion.

ORRI VIGFUSSON
Chairman
North Atlantic Salmon Fund
Reykjavik