Wild Salmon Connections
At the end of January Jack Bloomer, our Chief Scientist and Technical Director had the huge honour to attend, and present at, Wild Salmon Connections at Fishmongers Hall in London. This meeting, in spectacular surroundings, brought together scientists, practitioners, advocates and fundraisers from across the globe who are active in salmon conservation. The meeting had three aims:
- To inspire people across the world to take action to ensure a thriving future for wild salmon.
- To demonstrate that success is possible and push stakeholders to go further, faster, to safeguard wild salmon and their habitats.
- To mobilise public and private finance to support environmental restoration and safeguard the future of salmon populations.
Our presentation showed the Tyne is a perfect example of how success is possible and, when the right decisions are made they, and a wide range of other species, will respond. This was especially true in the 1970s when the Control of Pollution Act was introduced and Howdon Sewage Works was constructed, both of which drove major improvements in estuarine water quality on our river, which led to increases in salmon survival and upstream rod catch. While the challenges our salmon face now are on a larger scale and more complex, the overriding principle remains the same.
There was huge energy within the meeting, which was also attended by government ministers from UK, Scottish and Norwegian governments.
However, the third aim – the need to mobilise more public and private finance to safeguard the future of salmon on the Tyne, and globally – is clearly critical. While there was great willingness, this is the factor that is currently missing at a sufficient scale so it must be addressed.
As a fish that relies on cold, clean water and is heavily impacted by flood and drought, the future of salmon is intertwined with our own, so it is in everyone’s interest to protect this iconic species.
