The Baltic Salmon Foundation has, on behalf of SLU, compiled the salmon catches in the rivers that lead into the Baltic Sea. For the second year in a row, these are bottom numbers.
– Now we need forceful measures and a halt to fishing so that the stocks can recover while the researchers can find out in detail what it is that has happened, says a concerned Thomas Johansson, secretary general of the Baltic Salmon Foundation.
He believes the large-scale fishing for herring and sturgeon, which is the salmon’s food, is the biggest cause of the collapse.
Fishing license sales are decreasing
In 2021, 11,826 salmon were caught. In 2023 the number of catches was down to 1,694 salmon, and 2024 was even bleaker with just 1,606 salmon.
The management organizations report fewer salmon and trout caught by sport fishing, reduced fishing license sales, and a more than ten percent reduction in the number of fishing days compared to the previous year.
– We have rivers that have lost 20-25 percent of their fishing license sales, and this means that a number of fishery conservation area associations will have less money to carry out active fishery conservation and management in the coming years, says Thomas Johansson.