On June 6th, delegates from more than 12 member nations of the of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization met in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada at an event hosted by the ASF. During his opening speech, Bill Taylor, the president of the ASF addressed the delegates and advised them of some very sobering statistics.

"Since 1992, salmon returns have fallen from 150,000 grilse and 30,000 large salmon to only 24,000 grilse and 13,400 large salmon in 1999," remarked Taylor. "We are fast losing a valuable species, which in turn reflects the loss of clean rivers, oceans and genetic diversity."

This trend sadly enough is world-wide. In an earlier press release from the ASF, it was noted that "In North America, the number of large salmon returning to their native rivers has dropped by 90% in 25 years." Henning Roed o WWF-Norway, who is coordinating WWF research on the salmon, said, "More than 300 rivers have lost their wild salmon stocks and each year more rivers lose their salmon or have rapidly decreasing spawning populations."

Apparently, there are a number of reasons for the decline in Atlantic Salmon. Dams and other river engineering works block the passage of salmon to suitable spawning grounds. Of course, agricultural pollution is always a major factor in environmental damage. Even fish farming has to take some responsibility, according to the ASF, as farmed stock breed with wild salmon, and parasites and disease that originated with the fish farms are spread throughout the ocean.

If the information so far hasn't concerned you, consider this. The ASF claims that over half of the rivers monitored by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans failed to reach even minimum spawning targets last year! In the United States, only 4% of spawning targets were reached in the handful of rivers that still support wild Atlantic salmon.

For those anglers that dream of flyfishing for the powerful and legendary Atlantic Salmon, its probably time to take some action if you want your dream to ever be realized.

Discussion: What's your opinion? Do you think that this is important enough to take notice and support the organizations are working hard to protect Altantic Salmon? Post your opinion to our Flyfishing Forum.

RELATED LINKS

Salmon
Links and resources, from your About.com guide.

Atlantic Salmon Federation
Over 50 years in existence, fighting for the conservation of Atlantic Salmon

Environmental Issues
About.com guide Patricia Michaels discusses a wide range of topics.

"I'm Hooked For Life, Dad!"
I took my eldest son out flyfishing for his first time, and it was a joy to watch him cast like a pro. Find out what flies worked great for us, too!

The Truth About Hoppers
Misinformation abounds about flyfishing with hoppers. Doc Knoll has the answer on how you can improve your catch when using these great immitations.

Sport Or Molestation?
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