Salmon Watch Ireland

This is a shocking but unsurprising item on Prime Time. Intensification of agriculture is out of control. The derogation for nitrates and exponential growth of grasslands for milk production is essentially putting rivers into a spiral towards devastation. Added to this is the absence of updated waste water infrastructure.
Personal responsibility also is lacking with unsustainable use of water. It must be remembered that all used water must be treated before discharge.
Intense rainfall events do not help but infrastructure is lacking to safely manage this storm flow.
Can the situation be reversed?
Reduction of dairy farming is required
No nitrate derogation
Mandatory silt traps on all land drainage
Slow flood flow by use of leaky dams
Reintegrate flood plains
Incentivise water harvesting in urban areas.
Mandatory riparian zones on all rivers in catchment.
Upgrade WWT and mandatory management of septic systems
This is an emergency and requires concerted action.
We know there are plans to improve water quality in catchment but without mandatory rules, it will not work.
Activities which impact water quality should never be tolerated. Good farming practise in regard to slurry, yard water and chemical fertiliser are universally ignored without adequate sanction.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EK1rZGDXd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

'Our river is dying' – Locals warn of strain on Ireland's waters More rivers in Ireland are deteriorating than improving according to the latest EPA assessment

https://salmonwatchireland.ie/2026/07/24/irelands-summer-heatwave-a-wake-up-call-for-wild-atlantic-salmon/

Ireland's Summer Heatwave - A wake-up call for wild Atlantic salmon - Salmon Watch Ireland This summer has provided a stark reminder of how quickly Ireland's climate is changing. Prolonged periods of warm weather, low river flows and increasingly intense rainfall events (if they arrive) are no longer exceptional—they are becoming an increasingly familiar feature of our summers. In this ...

https://salmonwatchireland.ie/2026/07/20/newsletter-number-42-temperature-protocol-information-commissioner-joint-oireactas/

Newsletter Number 42 - Temperature Protocol / Information Commissioner / Joint Oireactas - Salmon Watch Ireland This edition focuses on a number of important developments affecting wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout, including Inland Fisheries Ireland's new scientific guidance on managing fisheries during periods of high water temperature and the increasing challenges posed by climate change. We also provide....

With over 15k salmon licence holders in Ireland you would think that this petition would garner your immediate response. Please sign this petition.

https://swanireland.ie/take-action/ban-open-net-fish-farms/

Welcome to Newsletter No. 41 from Salmon Watch Ireland.

As we move into the height of summer, our wild salmon and sea trout face increasing challenges from warming rivers, declining marine survival and ongoing human pressures. This edition examines the latest scientific evidence, including the newly published Norwegian Scientific Advisory Committee report, which concludes that salmon farming and climate change remain the two greatest human-induced threats to wild Atlantic salmon.

We also report on the recent Joint Oireachtas hearings on aquaculture, where contrasting views were presented on the impacts of open-net salmon farming, and outline our recent submissions on proposed salmon farm developments and Ireland's Draft National Restoration Plan. In addition, we highlight a new national protocol for investigating fish kills and discuss why protecting salmon during periods of high water temperature is becoming increasingly important for both juvenile and adult fish.

As always, we thank our supporters for their continued encouragement. Your support enables us to advocate for stronger protection of Ireland's rivers and to ensure that decisions affecting wild salmon are informed by the best available science.

We hope you enjoy this edition and, as always, welcome your comments and feedback.

Newsletter Number 41 - 26 June 2026 - Salmon Watch Ireland Welcome to Newsletter No. 41 from Salmon Watch Ireland. As we move into the height of summer, our wild salmon and sea trout face increasing challenges from warming rivers, declining marine survival and ongoing human pressures. This edition examines the latest scientific evidence, including the newly...

Norway suffering an accelerated decline - Salmon stocks in crisis.
“The Harvestable Surplus Is Well on Its Way to Disappearing in Many Places”

News
Editorial Staff
17 June 2026

A status report on Norwegian salmon stocks shows that the situation is critical, with few signs of improvement. Strict regulation of salmon fishing will continue to be necessary.

“We must reverse this negative trend before salmon fishing becomes something that belongs to the past,” Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen told NRK.

The Scientific Advisory Committee for Atlantic Salmon Management (VRL) highlights very few positive developments in its annual status report.

“The harvestable surplus is well on its way to disappearing in many places. Fishing has never been more strictly regulated, but not enough salmon survive and return to the rivers after their time at sea,” said Hilde Singsaas, Director of the Norwegian Environment Agency.

According to the report, Norwegian salmon populations remain at a historically low level. Although the situation improved somewhat in 2025 compared with the record-low year of 2024, the number of salmon returning from the sea was still among the weakest recorded since the 1980s.

Main points noted:

The VRL (Vitenskapelig råd for lakseforvaltning / Scientific Advisory Committee for Salmon Management) report is Norway’s annual scientific assessment of wild Atlantic salmon stocks.

The 2026 report paints a very concerning picture:

* Wild salmon populations remain at historically low levels.
* Although 2025 was slightly better than the exceptionally poor 2024 season, salmon returns were still among the weakest recorded since monitoring began in the 1980s.
* Many rivers no longer have a sufficient “harvestable surplus”—the number of salmon available for fishing after enough fish have returned to spawn. The report warns that this surplus is disappearing in many areas.
* Scientists and managers say that fishing restrictions alone cannot solve the problem because too few salmon survive their marine phase and return to their natal rivers. The main pressures include:
* Salmon lice associated with aquaculture
* Climate change
* Escaped farmed salmon
* Disease transmission
* Habitat impacts and river regulation
* Invasive pink salmon in some regions

According to reporting on earlier VRL assessments, annual spawning returns have fallen dramatically—from over one million salmon in the 1980s to roughly a third of that level in recent years.

The message from Norwegian authorities is that strict fishing regulations will need to continue, and that reversing the decline is essential if wild salmon angling is to remain viable in the future.

For people involved in Atlantic salmon conservation, the most important takeaway is that the problem is increasingly viewed as a marine survival crisis, not simply a fishing-pressure issue. Even with record-low exploitation rates, too few salmon are surviving at sea and returning to spawn.

A sobering indictment of water quality in Ireland. Having attended the Joint Oireactas Meeting yesterday and hearing the non-compliance issues with urban waste water facilities involving management and infrastructure we can only wonder at how these issues can be confronted. We are also in an era where agricultural pollution from intensive dairy farming and other sectors within farming are being allowed to pollute through intensification and neglect. Enforcement action and policy change is a priority. The Nitrates Derogation was a monumental political move and must be removed. There is essentially a willingness to pollute and an attitude which prioritises profit over common good.

No improvement to water quality standards in 2025 - EPA Data on the quality of Ireland's waters shows no major improvements were achieved in 2025 and standards are still unsatisfactory in many areas.