ATLANTIC SALMON POPULATIONS ARE IN RAPID DECLINE ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN SCOTLAND, THE MISSING SALMON ALLIANCE TRIES TO FIND THE REASONS BEHIND IT BY BRINGING TOGETHER LEADING SALMON ORGANISATIONS FROM ACROSS THE UK.
While salmon might not grab the headlines like beavers or otters do, they are nevertheless an important flagship species for Scotland. A species that is in crisis. These iconic fish spend time in both rivers and at sea, as far away as the west coast of Greenland, amazingly returning to the same river where they were born. When they make their way back to their rivers to spawn, one of nature’s greatest events can be witnessed – the salmon run. In some of Scotland’s rivers, the salmon run occurs from November to December and in rare cases, it can extend from October to late February.
As one of Scotland’s oldest indigenous species, the Atlantic salmon is a quintessential British fish and a key part of the country’s history, culture and identity. Many local economies are still dependent on their return each year to Scotland’s vast river network up and down the UK. Lindsay Wrapson who works with the Missing Salmon Alliance, a Scottish organisation seeking to explore the reasons behind the sharp decline of the species in Atlantic waters, says: “Salmon represent the global health of our rivers, oceans and ultimately our relationship with the natural world that sustains all human activity.”