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Conservationists & Commercial Fisherman Agree Restoring Europe's Salmon Rivers... Salmon Conservation Wins the Day Networking for a Change Norway Salmon nets begin to END! National Geographic News January 10 2005 Good News from Trondheim Rivers Dec 2004 Press Release December 12 2004. Press Release 25 February 2004.
CONSERVATIONISTS AND COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN AGREE RESTORING EUROPE''S SALMON RIVERS MUST FOLLOW IRISH DRIFTNETTING BANAn unique meeting took place in Copenhagen salmon this month when leaders of commercial fishermen’s organisations in Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes met conservationists to review the problems of the wild Atlantic salmon. The delegates discussed ways of restoring salmon stocks, how to develop new and existing sustainable fisheries and the creation of new jobs in regions that used to harvest salmon on the feeding grounds of the far north. The meeting was hosted by the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF), an international conservation organisation launched in 1989 to persuade anglers and other private sector interests to donate money and resources to remove or reduce the commercial exploitation of threatened salmon stocks. NASF’s work internationally to increase the numbers of spawning salmon on both sides of the Atlantic has now become a co-operative effort with the commercial sector. For 17 years NASF has negotiated and funded an increasing number of agreements with commercial fishermen in which the men volunteer to stop fishing for salmon in return for compensation. Improved earnings from upgrading boats to develop sustainable new fisheries have followed the voluntary bans that now protect the salmon shoals that gather to feed in the waters of Greenland and the Faroes. As a result the fishing organisations in these countries now work actively with the salmon conservation organisations to find new ways of giving their members a better lifestyle. The former salmon fishermen now make a better living from species like lumpfish, snow crab and turbot. They have also developed business plans to provide boats to service offshore oil exploration all over the world. The news that the Irish Government had finally agreed to end its destructive drift netting of salmon returning to the rivers of Ireland and other European countries was was particularly welcomed by the delegates. The NASF chairman, Orri Vigfússon, told the meeting: “Our experience leads us to believe that if the commercial fishermen affected by the closure receive fair and generous compensation they themselves will help ensure that illegal fishing is kept to a minimum. “This is a key issue as is the need to help the fishermen find alternative work that will give them a better way of life. If this goes hand-in-hand with the introduction of effective enforcement measures and practical habitat improvement work by both the public and private sectors we are sure that Ireland can look forward to a rapid rise in salmon numbers. “ The Copenhagen meeting discussed salmon restoration plans for the rivers of Europe. Conservationist speakers said that the Irish decision should be followed immediately by practical programmes to restore the rivers in Southern and South Western England and Wales and the various regions of France, Germany and Spain that once had good salmon runs. “Our objective is ABUNDANCE, we cannot settle for anything less,” said Mr Vigfússon. SALMON CONSERVATION WINS THE DAYIt has taken many years of pressure by NASF and its allies in Ireland, England, and other European countries, but at last the Irish Government has agreed to stop drift-netting of salmon in its coastal waters. The government has announced that it was adopting the key recommendations of the Independent Working Group on Salmon for a compulsory buy-out of the drift netting. It is setting up a hardship fund of over 25 million Euros to address the financial losses that the netsmen will suffer. Another 5 million Euros will be set aside to help rural communities overcome the loss of income from the closure of the drift netting. In an effort to allow more salmon to reach their spawning grounds estuary netsmen will be allowed to volunteer to join the buy-out scheme. Fifty years ago a small number of Irish inshore fishermen were helped to make a living by the huge shoals of salmon that swam close to the coast of Ireland as they returned to European rivers from their feeding grounds in northern oceans. Only a small percentage of the fish were caught, as the salmon could often see and avoid the thick and clumsy hemp nets in use at that time. When near-invisible monofilament nets were invented hundreds of new salmon licences were issued and the once-modest fishery mushroomed into a giant industry that was soon killing half a million salmon or more annually. Despite the Atlantic-wide decline in salmon numbers in recent years successive Irish fishery ministers refused to curb the over-fishing or accept the advice of their own scientists. Finally, when it became clear that Irish salmon stocks were falling far faster than elsewhere, a quota system was introduced. The quota's figures were set so high, however, that the drift nets were allowed to take an ever increasing share of the total European salmon catch. As a result, great damage has been done to the wild salmon stocks of Irish rivers and those of its European neighbours. Conservationists are now hoping that many thousands of salmon that would otherwise have died in drift nets will be able to spawn and restore stock numbers. Orri Vigfusson, chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, said: "We have campaigned for this day for the last 14 years and are delighted that the Irish Cabinet has taken the action we have long recommended. It was not an easy decision to take in the face of vested interests that have shown no concern for the future of the salmon resource. "I do commend the courage shown by the Minister for Communications, Marine, and Natural Resources (Mr Noel Dempsey) in facing down the opponents of conservation who always got their way in the past. Hopefully, he has acted in the nick of time to save what is left of the Irish salmon resource and inject new hope for a revival of the salmon stocks of other European countries. "Providing proper enforcement is introduced to prevent illegal netting and the rules of the scheme are fair to both netsmen and anglers, the Irish Government can be assured that NASF will use its influence internationally to help the buy-out scheme succeed." NETWORKING FOR A CHANGEWhat is NASF? NASF is an advocate of lifestyle, of jobs, and sustainability within the salmon fishing community. If you create a job, you create goodwill. That is NASF's motto. By understanding the needs of commercial fishermen allows NASF to make deals that create alternative employment, followed by goodwill, and thereby reach its objective of ABUNDANCE. So far, no less than 2,500 commercial fishermen have benefitted by participating in quota purchase agreements, which are aimed at rebuilding salmon stocks throughout the North Atlantic region. Now more than 880 Irish netsmen will surely be added to the long and successful list. See the attached text document, and the people who are working to change the lifestyles and the social environment of commercial fishermen, while at the same time are helping to build up wild Atlantic salmon stocks throughout their range. 
(Left to right): Arthur Bogason, chairman of the National Association of Small Boat Owners (NASBO) in Iceland and chairman of World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers; Casper Moltke, chairman of The Danish Salmon Foundation; Peter Olsen, chairman of the Association of Fishermen and Hunters in Greenland (KNAPK); Orri Vigfússon, chairman of the The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF); Hans Andreas Joensen, chairman of the Faroe Salmon Fishing Vessel Owners´ Association (Laksaskip); John Biilman, CEO of the Association of Fishermen and Hunters in Greenland (KNAPK); Örn Pálsson, general manager of the National Association of Small Boat Owners (NASBO) in Iceland.  (Left to right): Hans Andreas Joensen, chairman of Faroe Salmon Fishing Vessel Owners´ Association (Laksaskip); Orri Vigfússon, chairman of the The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF), Iceland; Peter Olsen, chairman of the Association of Fishermen and Hunters in Greenland (KNAPK). NB. Bill Taylor, president of the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), was present but does not appear in the photographs due to illness.
Norway Salmon nets begin to END!80% of Netsmen sign up Exclusive London Salmon Dinner on March 2 International spotlight shifts to Ireland. Now the only country still promoting a drift netting policy for wild salmon. A five-year, 3 million-dollar netting buyout in Norway gives the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) yet another success in its long battle to rescue the Atlantic's wild salmon stocks from over-fishing. The agreement covers the Trondheim fjord and salmon destined for such great rivers as the Gaula, Orkla. Stjordal and Verdal, all of them legendary amongst anglers for their huge salmon. In company with the other rivers that flow into the Trondheim fjord they were losing too many of their fish to commercial netting. Now netsmen who have been catching over 80% of the registered catch "the percentage needed to trigger the buyout" have signed up to the NASF-inspired agreement. This will provide a unique environmental opportunity, strengthen the spawning stocks, restore the salmon image and create community value of the salmon in the sportfishery. NASF-style agreements in which commercial salmon fishermen are compensated if they stop fishinghave left Norway and Ireland isolated as the only countries on either side of the Atlantic where large-scale netting continues. They were also the only places last year not to enjoy a substantial upturn in salmon numbers. NASF now hopes that conservation-minded angling interests throughout Norway will copy the Trondheim buyout and that the country's salmon stocks will rapidly improve as a result. This will delight the many people who have feared that Norway's reputation as a premierangling destination could not survive if unabated netting continues. NASF's chairman Orri Vigfusson said: "I am very grateful to Arne Joerrestol, chairman of the Norwegian Salmon Netsmen Organisation for giving us this wonderful opportunity. He has placed conservation ahead of his economic interests and made it very much a first priority. You cannot compromise on salmon conservation and Arne's leadership is a shining example of what can be done. "The leaders of the Trondheim project, Jon Kjelden and Vegard Heggem, have given their region's rivers a major boost and thrown a lifeline to the salmon rivers in the rest of Norway. This is the way ahead and Norwegians are signing up to help their dwindling stocks recover. A great many thanks are also due to NASF's conservation partners who have made this deal possible." NASF maintains agreements that protect the salmon's feeding grounds off Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes. By compensating commercial fishermen further south NASF has also eliminated much of the netting that used to obstruct the routes the fish take as they return to their native rivers. On March 2nd, together with Ian Stoppani, NASF is hosting an exclusive London Salmon Dinner for key supporters at the " Le Bouchon Bordelais restaurant, 5-9 Battersea Rise, SW11 (www.lebouchon.co.uk). Orri Vigfusson said: "There will be an update on NASF's global activities but certainly we shall also have fun and the best of meals." The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) is an international coalition of voluntary
conservation groups that have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic
salmon to their historic sustainable abundance. For more information contact Orri
Vigfússon ( tel +354 568 6277) or by e-mail: nasf@vortex.is
Big Atlantic Salmon Runs Foster Hope for FishJames Owen for National Geographic News January 10, 2005 The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is fabled for its extraordinary life story: The fish migrates hundreds, even thousands, of miles from ocean feeding grounds to run against the current in river rapids and on falls to reach the very waters where it was born. Revered by anglers as the "king of fish," the salmon's reputation as a sport fish is unmatched. Over the past 25 years the number of returning salmon has fallen to a fraction of the fish's historic abundance in many regions. Precisely why remains unclear. Possible factors include commercial fishing, reduced food availability at sea, degraded river habitats, and ecological problems linked to salmon farming. However, conservationists take the recent upturn in European and North American salmon runs as a sign that wide-ranging measures to reduce commercial catches are helping to turn the tide the salmon's way. Scotland's official catch by anglers for 2004 is set to top 80,000 for the first time in ten years, according to Scotland's Association of Salmon Fishery Boards (ASFB), based in Edinburgh. The 50-year annual average is 67,000 fish. Anglers on the River Tweed in southeast Scotland landed more than 14,000 salmon, one of the biggest hauls ever recorded in Britain. Several other Scottish rivers also broke their all-time records, according to the ASFB. Renowned rivers such as the Miramichi and Restigouche in Canada and the Grey River in Newfoundland report some of their best salmon fishing in 20 years, said Orri Vigfússon, chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Iceland itself had its most productive season since 1978, with consecutive increases in the total number of salmon landed by anglers for the past four years. Restoration GoalThe North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) is an international coalition of nongovernmental organizations with the stated aim of restoring wild salmon stocks. A privately funded body, the NASF has focused its efforts on reducing the number of fish taken by commercial fishers at sea. "Too many salmon fall victim to commercial netting in salt water before the fish can reach the comparative safety of their home rivers," Vigfússon said. "This keeps the spawning stock artificially low—a desperately bad situation when stocks are low anyway." The NASF has been working to establish environmental agreements with commercial fisheries in the North Atlantic. In return for significant financial compensation and alternative employment opportunities, fishers have agreed to cease or to dramatically cut back operations off Greenland and the Faroe Islands—the salmon's main ocean feeding grounds. Commercial fishers who intercept fish on their homeward migrations are also being bought out. Vigfússon says up to 150 million U.S. dollars have been raised to fund these agreements, which have been backed by the Canadian government, among others. The NASF estimates that between four and five million salmon have so far been saved. The Greenland conservation agreement, signed in 2002, has already benefited North American stocks, according to the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The St. Andrews, New Brunswick-based environmental nonprofit promotes salmon conservation along the continent's eastern seaboard. "The Greenland fishery has not operated for two years now, and this has stopped the salmon's precipitous decline," federation president Bill Taylor reported last August. Taylor said the agreement should provide momentum for restoring healthy salmon runs to hundreds of rivers. "Some very large salmon that have made their migrations from home to ocean feeding grounds and back three, four, and even more times are returning in greater numbers than predicted," he added. Andrew Wallace, director of Scotland's Association of Salmon Fishery Boards, said, "It's not easy to put your finger on one thing and say, 'That's what's turned things around.' But these agreements must be contributing to the improving situation." Nets BuyoutReferring to a 2003 buyout of drift nets used off England's North Sea coast, Wallace added, "It's made an absolutely enormous difference to rivers in northeast England. [Salmon] figures have leapt in a staggering way." Electronic fish counters installed to monitor upstream migrations support the evidence of increased salmon runs, Wallace noted, adding that habitat-improvement work on rivers may also be helping to reestablish populations. And Wallace said anglers are doing their bit by releasing around 50 percent of the salmon they catch. While catch-and-release has long been part of the fly-fishing culture in North America and Iceland, in Britain it's a relatively new concept. "If you had gone back ten years and told people to put back fish, they would have laughed at you," Wallace said. "There's been a tremendous attitudinal change." Vigfússon said his North Atlantic Salmon Fund is now well into the third and final phase of its action plan: safeguarding salmon as they migrate back to their native rivers to breed. "There is little point in protecting the salmon on their oceanic feeding grounds if they are then to be intercepted by nets along the coasts of Scotland, Ireland, and in Norwegian fjords," he said. The NASF is currently negotiating the buyout of nets sited in fjords in the Trondheim region of Norway. Vigfússon hopes the multimillion-dollar scheme will become a model for similar agreements throughout Norway. He said that tackling drift netting off western Ireland is an urgent priority. Figures from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea—a research body composed of some 1,600 marine scientists from 19 North Atlantic countries—suggest Irish nets have claimed more than half a million salmon in the last three years. Vigfússon said these salmon are bound not only for Irish rivers but also for other European countries where stocks remain perilously low. "Restoration programs in France, Spain, Germany, southwest England, and Wales cannot really begin until we have got the Irish nets removed," he added. James Owen
Good News from Trondheim RiversIt has been a Great Salmon Year! Lets keep the ball rolling The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) is seeking international support for net buyout projects in Norway. Can you help? The great Norwegian salmon that run the Orkla, Gaula, Stjordal, Verdal and the other famous rivers that flow into the Trondheim fjord are legendary. But many anglers must have wondered how long Norway’s reputation as a top angling destination will survive if large-scale netting continues unabated. The answer may lie in a 5-year pilot scheme that is being brokered in the Trondheim area. The river owners with support from the NASF, are negotiating to buy out the in-fjord nets to protect and boost the salmon runs of the many rivers in this area. NASF hopes that the scheme will become a model for similar buyouts throughout Norway. The leaders of the Trondheim project are Jon Kjelden and Vegard Heggem. They have the wholehearted support of local anglers and of the region's communities and commercial companies. Commercial fishermen who regularly take half the net catch have already signed up. The project will go ahead if more than 80% of the catch can be saved by persuading enough netsmen to hang up their nets. NASF chairman Orri Vigfússon is encouraging international anglers to make donations to the project. He explained: “Two-thirds of all the salmon caught in Norway are taken by nets within the fjords. This pilot scheme could lead to a huge change in that situation. If it succeeds we would expect the rest of Norway to follow suit and end virtually all salmon netting. “Many of our supporters go to Norway to fish so this scheme is very much in their interests. Initially, the objective is to lease the netting rights by paying fair compensation to netsmen who volunteer to stop salmon fishing for five years. This would benefit anglers and river owners alike and help rural areas of Norway that badly need more income.” NASF is planning a series of events to support the necessary fundraising. Initially NASF seeks the names of people that might be willing to help by donating funds or fishing related articles for a sale or auction in aid of this exciting scheme which could restore wild salmon stocks in Norway to historic abundance. Orri Vigfússon
IRISH DRIFT NETS WRECKING
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| Years | Ireland all methods total ( 1 ) | Ireland drift net catches only ( 2 ) | EU community ICES-Southern Europe region total ( 1 ) |
| 1991 | 404 | 267 | 1.145 |
| 1992 | 630 | 454 | 1.522 |
| 1993 | 541 | 380 | 1.443 |
| Total Pct | 1.575 38,32% | 1.101 26,79% | 4.110 100,00% |
| 2001 | 730 | 620 | 1.242 |
| 2002 | 682 | 5831.119 | |
| 2003 | 575 | 471 | 932 |
| Total Pct | 1.987 60,34% | 1.674 50,84% | 3.293 100,00% |
| Ireland drift net catches, numbers | |||
| Years | Numbers( 2 ) | Years | Numbers( 2 ) |
| 1991 | 91.031 | 2001 | 197.172 |
| 1992 | 167.348 | 2002 | 179.177 |
| 1993 | 138.969 | 2003 | 141.222 |
| Total | 397.348 | 517.571 | |
This is a 30.26% increase in numbers
( 1 ) Ref: ICES statistics
( 2 ) Ref: Central Fisheries Board statistics
NASF Abundance strategy is working!
BEST- EVER SALMON RUNS IN ICELAND?
Press Release - October 4, 2004
As Iceland ends its best salmon angling season for at least 25 years, Orri Vigfusson, international chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF), urged river managers in other countries to abandon policies that are aimed at producing just enough spawners to perpetuate the species
"What anglers want is abundance," he declared. "Thanks to the enlightened approach of the salmon managers of my country, that is what we have got in Iceland."
Iceland's salmon season is almost over. Mr Vigfusson said he believed that the meticulous catch records all Icelandic rivers must keep by law will show that in 2004 45,000 salmon have been landed by rod and line in Iceland. Many of these fish were not killed because an increasing number of anglers release their salmon.
"You have to go back to 1978, which Icelandic anglers called their Golden Salmon Year, to find greater runs of Atlantic salmon, " Mr Vigfusson added, "Around 1987 we also had good runs but those fish included huge numbers of escapees that damaged the spawning in many rivers in the south west of Iceland."
Remarkably, the near-record catch has been made despite unusually hot weather, a prolonged drought in most parts of Iceland and river temperatures much higher than normal. Mr Vigfusson believes that this big catch proves that NASF's methods of restoring salmon stocks to historic abundance are being successful.
"For over a decade, " he said "NASF has worked diligently with commercial fishermen to protect the salmon feeding grounds in the high seas around Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. In recent years we have also completed a growing list of agreements to give wild salmon a safe passage as they return to their native rivers. We persuade netsmen to stop salmon fishing in return for fair compensation and help in finding alternative fishing and employment opportunities."
NASF's aim is to end all mixed-stock salmon fisheries throughout the North Atlantic. Commercial agreements to do this have now been made in Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Wales, Faroe Islands, South West England, the North East England and in the Northern Ireland Conservancy area.
"We have not finished our task, " said Mr Vigfusson. "There is more to do. We still have to persuade the governments of the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Norway to partner us in ending the last mixed-stock commercial fisheries.
"Our restoration plans also include the encouragement of new management thinking. Paying fishermen to stop netting salmon at sea is not the complete answer to the wild salmon's problems. River managers must make radical changes in their priorities.
"They must stop basing their management policies on the need to achieve just enough spawners to keep the species going. The most important move they could make would be to say goodbye to the minimum spawning escapement theories. The use of a formula may result in a reasonably accurate assessment of the smallest number of spawning salmon a river needs to perpetuate the species. But if that figure is adopted as the management target it merely ensures that the salmon numbers stay at their lowest safe level.
"What is needed is abundance and abundance, ultimately, will only come from the sea when adult fish are able to return unhindered to their rivers of origin. We should all be working together to achieve this. The rivers must be full of fish if the wild salmon resource is to provide its greatest level of social and economic benefits. Catch and Release is, after all, intended only as a temporary measure; not an end in itself.
"All concerned should be helping us maximise stock by removing nets as well as by improving river habitats and opening up new spawning grounds if that is possible. Modest stocking may be required in areas where spawning is poor. This is what we have done in Iceland and it works. I am convinced that nothing beats common sense and local knowledge to produce large and sustainable stocks."
Mr Vigfusson thinks that 2005 will be the year to go salmon fishing. "Iceland has had a grilse year in 2004, " he said. "With more favourable marine conditions including higher sea temperatures we are really looking forward to 2005. We expect the large multi-sea winter fish to return and it is reasonable to look for another good grilse year."
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) is an international coalition of voluntary conservation groups that have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic sustainable abundance. For more information contact Orri Vigfússon tel +354 568 6277 or by Email nasf@vortex.is
"Ni tir gan bradan"
No country without salmon
Press Release - April 6, 2004
Wild salmon in Iceland is protected almost as intensely as the original Icelandic language.
COUNTRYSIDE SCOTLAND SPEECH in Perth 27 April 2004
Let me say quite bluntly that I am here because of the way Scotland is treating its wild salmon. Future angling academics will look back at what is happening now and see it as a dark age in the long history of a precious Scottish resource. But before I explain the salmon’s problems are so black please allow me to recall a little ancient history.
In 1745, as I am sure you know, the Battle of Culloden wrecked the Scottish clan system. It broke the ties between the chieftain and his clansmen and forced the landowners to seek new ways to utilize their sprawling domains. They developed an interest in deer and sheep but slowly it dawned on high society elsewhere that the moors and valleys held a splendid sporting potential in the form of both birds and fish.
That realisation was just what England and Scotland needed. Scotland wanted rural income and employment. Down south there was a huge demand for good shooting - much greater than the steadily shrinking English countryside could provide. Anglers also turned their eyes to Scotland. The salmon disappeared from the Thames in 1821, and, according to author Michael Wigan, who is now chairman of the Helmsdale river board, .the industrial revolution was systematically choking fish to extinction in many other English rivers.
So it was a combination of nature’s bounty and the industrial revolution that made Scotland the natural home of salmon fishing, first for the British and then as the premier destination of anglers from all over the world. To my mind, Scotland will always be the real home of salmon fishing because it has given us fly-fishing in its most stylish form. Speycasting is an art that matches the grace and strength of the fish it seeks to secure.
Fishermen come to Scotland not only to fish but to become part of a wonderful fishing tradition. This has created a body of thought, experience and authorship that has real magic for anglers and continues to give pleasure to successive generations.
In his Days of Salmon Fishing, published in 1842, William Scrope tells how he was woken at midnight in his hostel-room by the cries of his fishing companion. The man was fishing in his dreams, but yanking the bell-rope and shouting. "I have him". I know many present-day stories that mirror this one in all essential details.
I could go on endlessly declaring the fascination of fly-fishing. But if the rivers are to continue to attract anglers they need a silvery biomass in the form of the King of Fish. That is missing from most of your rivers and the implications of that unhappy situation and the dangers it holds for your tourist industry seems to have escaped the notice of the Scottish Executive. Many of the world’s salmon fishermen have forsaken Scotland and now go to Iceland or Northern Russia where salmon are still plentiful.
Oh, yes, the Executive has been told about this. By many people! I am myself getting tired of writing warning letters and of pleading with your Fisheries Minister to back the North Atlantic Salmon Fund in taking the most obvious way of halting the very serious decline in wild salmon stocks. But there has been a stubborn refusal by the Executive to face the facts.
There is certainly a deep reluctance here to spend any public money to help restore the situation. Even though Scotland will be the main beneficiary, NASF tried and failed to extract a single penny from the Scottish Executive towards the recent £3.4m buyout of most of the salmon drift nets off North East England.
Everyone agrees that 80% of the 40,000 salmon those nets were killing annually were on their way to Scottish rivers. England’s fishery minister contributed £1.25m. towards the rescue of mostly Scottish salmon. Scottish angling interests were very generous in their support. But ministerial hands in Edinburgh stayed firmly in their pockets.
In my view, your ruling politicians are being very shortsighted. The wild salmon is a magnificent species and should be a lucrative and expanding resource for the very rural areas that most need economic help. It is the duty of the Scottish Assembly to protect this gift of nature. Governments elsewhere realise this is a public responsibility, even though the ownerships of many stretches of river are in private hands. Farming is subsidised from the public purse even though the land and the animals are privately-owned. Athletic stadiums, football, the theatre - they all get generous public help. This is because of the benefits all these activities bring to the public generally and to local economies in particular. But the Scottish Executive has largely failed the wild salmon.
Let me outline what is at stake here. Scotland enjoys a total annual expenditure of £113m by anglers and this supports around 2,800 jobs. Salmon and sea trout angling accounts for over 65 per cent of this (£73m). In regional terms, the Highlands see the biggest total spend - almost £43 million. Almost 800 jobs would go in the Highlands if salmon and sea trout fisheries fail completely. North East Scotland is in second place with an angling income of £31.5 million a year. High-spending anglers would be biggest loss to Scottish economy if fisheries collapsed.
These facts and figures are not mine. They were revealed last month in an in-depth study of the economic impact of angling in Scotland commissioned by the Scottish Executive. Its appearance is the one ray of hope I have that the Executive may at last be coming out of its apparent trance. But I still await any word of their official encouragement.
The report says there is a large amount of anecdotal evidence that angling tourism also brings in much more income for regional economies than the mere spend of the anglers themselves. Their partners and families, of course, visit local attractions and shops. "There is some evidence of considerable expenditure by anglers’companions, particularly sea trout anglers," the study adds. That’s because most sea trout angling is done at night. The wives obviously console themselves in the shops like the House of Bruar!
But the Executive seems to have tunnel-vision. It is clearly mesmerised by Scotland's salmon farming industry though that industry is only worth around £300 million annually at farm-gate value. Given the right encouragement Scottish angling could probably come very close to equalling that.
The well- publicised failings of salmon farming have caused considerable damage elsewhere in the world to the perception of Scotland as an environmental paradise. There remains a good deal to do if salmon farming is to earn itself a better public image.
Instead of concentrating only on salmon farming, I cannot understand why Scotland’s governing politicians cannot see the great economic gains their wild fish resources could deliver if, instead of working exclusively with Brussels, they worked with their Northern partners -- Iceland, Faeroe Islands and Greenland. In the north we have created huge economic wealth and income by "wild fish fisheries management systems" that are quite different from the systems of the Common Fisheries Policy as they have messed up their fisheries . This involves giving the private sector long-term transferable quotas based upon modern scientific stock assessment in the multi-species context.
By concentrating on the conservation aspects, strong regional management and effective monitoring and enforcement measures and separating scientific assessment from the granting of quotas you end the rat race to kill as many fish as quickly as possible.
The fisherman catches them when he chooses to do so and that is when the costs are low and market prices are high. This system has worked exceptionally well for us and I strongly believe it would work for Scotland.
The fact is that most of Scotland’s salmon rivers are struggling and the regional fishery boards – all private sector organizations, remember, -- have been digging deep into the pockets of riparian owners and anglers to try and stave off real disaster. They need tangible support from the Executive but it has not been forthcoming.
The real problem is that two-thirds of all the salmon killed in Scotland are taken by nets. And the most dangerous nets are those that target mixed stocks of salmon returning to a variety of rivers. There are two nations that continue to allow mixed-stock fishing for Atlantic salmon -- Scotland and Ireland. The scientists of every North Atlantic country - apart from those employed by the Irish Government and the Scottish Assembly, strangely enough - insist mixed-stock salmon fishing must stop.
The reason is simple. Each river has its own separate salmon stock. Mixed-stock fishermen have no way of telling whether the fish they kill come from a river that can withstand the loss of some fish or from a river where the salmon is struggling to survive. Those scientists who turn a blind eye to these dangers think only of allowing enough salmon to survive the nets to ensure the species is not wiped out. Outside the laboratory, everybody else wants a return to Abundance. Again the potential offered by nature is being squandered.
Throughout the 14 years of its existence the North Atlantic Salmon Fund has concentrated on stopping mixed-stock fishing. An international bonanza began when the ancient mystery of where the salmon went to feed was solved by the discovery of its secret feeding grounds off Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Our organisation began when it was clear that unless this commercial slaughter was stopped the Atlantic salmon could follow the Newfoundland cod into oblivion.
There was a raft of other problems facing the species - pollution, habitat destruction by intensive farming, a drop in the survival rate of young salmon in the ocean and more. It seemed to me that the obvious way to stop the rot was to allow more salmon to survive to spawn. And, equally obvious, the way to do that was to stop mixed-stock netting in coastal waters because coastal nets take the majority of salmon that are caught.
Fortunately I found supporters in many countries who agreed with me. Since those early days all commercial salmon fishing has stopped or largely stopped on those oceanic feeding grounds in the far North, the coasts of Canada, the coastal waters off Iceland, Norway, Wales, North East England and North Devon.
Some people might be tempted to say: "You want to take the bread out of the mouth of honest fishermen. You do it for fun. They do it for a living." I wonder if this is what is in the minds of the Scottish Executive.
Coming from a fishing family as I do I would never countenance any idea of robbing commercial fishermen of their heritage. Every salmon fisherman who has stopped fishing either permanently or temporarily as a result of our activities has done so voluntarily in return for fair compensation. We also seek other employment opportunities for them. The former salmon fishers of Greenland, for example, are now making a handsome living from lumpfish caviar and snow crab. One day, we hope, when we attain our aim of restored abundance it will be possible for them or their sons to resume sustainable fishing for salmon.
To do all this we have so far raised some £20 million. We have now begun the third and final stage of our campaign. Our aim is the removal of Scotland’s last coastal nets, the in-fjord nets of Norway and the 1200 drift and draft nets that still take huge numbers of salmon off the west coast of Ireland.
In Scotland we need your help to persuade the Scottish Executive to change its policies and become, like several other governments, an active partner with NASF.
Orri Vigfússon, Chairman
North Atlantic Salmon Fund
LEADING US CONSERVATIONISTS HONOUR ORRI VIGFUSSON
Press Release - April 6, 2004Two decades of work by Orri Vigfusson, International Chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, to restore wild Atlantic salmon numbers to their former abundance have been recognized by the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, a leading US conservation group. Mr Vigfusson was presented with the Ed Zern Salmo Conservation Award at the TG Flyfishers' annual dinner in New York.
Mr Vigfusson, an Icelandic businessman, founded NASF in 1989 when it became clear that wild salmon from rivers on both sides of the Atlantic were in dangerous decline. He realised that unless some way of protecting the fish during their oceanic migrations could be found the species could not withstand the onslaught of the modern commercial fishing methods ranged against it.
His answer was to mobilize international support and persuade commercial fishermen to give up fishing for salmon, either permanently or for a period long enough to allow stocks to recover. In return NASF compensates the fishermen for the resulting loss of income and works to find them alternative employment.
Since then his organization, which now has branches in all the North Atlantic countries and a worldwide list of supporters, has raised nearly $30-million to buy out netting rights to reduce excessive commercial exploitation. Conservationists believe this is now having a major and positive impact on restoring runs of wild salmon to the rivers of Europe, Iceland and North America.
The Theodore Gordon Flyfishers was formed in New York City in 1964. Its founding directors included noted salmon anglers and conservationists including Lee Wulff, Ted Rogowski, Donal O'Brien and Ed Zern. The Salmo Award is named after Zern, who served as TGF's first president. It has been awarded only eight times in TGF's 40-year history.
In presenting the award TGF President Richard Schager declared: "As a completely voluntary organization, we can learn a great deal from Orri's work over the last 20 years. He is a living example of how private conservation groups can make a difference."
Vigfusson expressed particular pleasure in accepting an award from a group co-founded by the legendary Lee Wulff. "Reading Lee Wulff's book on the Atlantic salmon changed my life, " he said "and I am glad to make this further connection with him."
Vigfusson's work has been recognized by many other conservation interests in recent years. Last year he received a Leadership Award in the USA from Trout Unlimited's Coldwater Conservation Fund. He also holds a Knight Order from the Queen of Denmark and he has been appointed an Honorary Goodwill Salmon Ambassador for Denmark. Amongst the many honours he has received are a Conservation Award from the Prince of Wales, the Chuck Yeager Award and the Lee Wulff Conservation Award.
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund is a coalition organisation dedicated to the
conservation and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon. Tel: +354 568
6277 Fax: +354 588 4758 e-mail: nasf@vortex.is
COMMERCIAL 'NO-FISHING' AGREEMENTS ARE TURNING THE TIDE FOR WILD ATLANTIC SALMON
For over a decade, in order to counter a widespread decline in wild Atlantic salmon stocks, the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) has pioneered environmental agreements that are based on commercial principles. These agreements depend on the voluntary co-operation of commercial salmon fishermen.
They agree to stop fishing in return for fair financial compensation and the introduction of new types of employment in the form of new and sustainable sea fisheries or as workers in a revived angling tourism industry. These measures have provided real support for wild salmon stocks on both sides of the Atlantic.
NASF teams in a number of countries have not only taken the lead in developing an acceptable conservation philosophy and effective policies. They have worked in the field to turn their conservation plans into working agreements with the stakeholders.
NASF was initially driven by the urgency to provide safety for the salmon while the fish were on their high seas feeding grounds off Greenland, Iceland and Faroe Islands. This led to the first commercial agreements with long-liners in the Faroe Islands and netsmen in Greenland. The Canadian Government, at great expense to itself, followed these same principles by financing similar agreements with its fishermen in the coastal waters of their eastern seaboard.
The second phase of NASF's plan resulted in the completion of agreements in Iceland, Wales, South West England, the North Sea and in the Northern Ireland Conservancy area.
These agreements have stopped the decline in wild salmon stocks and we are beginning to see improvements in a number of regions, particularly in the reappearance of the bigger salmon that after more than one winter's feeding in the sea return to spawn with the largest numbers of eggs. "The agreements that have been reached so far have already boosted salmon runs in the Kharlovka, Eastern Litza and Rynda rivers" said Peter Power founder of the Atlantic Salmon Reserve (ASR) - see http://www.kharlovka.com/atlanticsalmon.html in the Kola Peninsula, Russia, "We are pleased to make substantial contributions to these projects and our angling guests are reaping the benefit with higher catch returns.
"We have come a long way already and we can be proud of what we have achieved" said Orri Vigfússon, the NASF Chairman of NASF at its headquarters in Reykjavik, Iceland.. "The future of the Atlantic salmon is beginning to look brighter with almost every passing month. There is no doubt in my mind that we have the answers to the salmon's problems. All we have to do is to put them into practice. So let us now go ahead to tackle the obstacles that remain with renewed vigour."
NASF does not believe in wasting time. It now hopes to launch its third and final phase to provide safety for the salmon by extending its protection to the migration routes the fish take as they return from their oceanic feeding grounds. Said Mr Vigfusson: "There is little point in protecting the salmon on their oceanic feeding grounds if they are then to be intercepted by nets along the coasts of Scotland, Ireland and in Norwegian fjords. If stocks are to rebuild they must be given the chance to return to their native rivers and spawn. Mutually-acceptable agreements and new and sustainable employment for fishermen will open the way for this to be done."
Already very large numbers of commercial fishermen are prepared to cooperate with the NASF teams with the aim of rebuilding stocks to the high levels that existed only two decades ago. A pilot scheme is being prepared in Norway and most of the drift-net and draft-net men in Ireland have indicated willingness to negotiate.
Partnership agreements would have huge potential for the development of tourist angling in these regions. In financing its agreements, NASF seeks to encourage the free-market profit motive. It has led the way by raising very considerable private funds. But it also expects the public sector to play its part by contributing a fair share of the money needed to remedy the damage that ineffective management has inflicted on salmon stocks in the past.
"Rod anglers must also play their part by exercising restraint in the number of salmon they take and by working to improve the habitat in their rivers" added Mr Vigfússon. "We may then be surprised at the speed with which the wild salmon re-establishes itself in all our rivers."
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, is a coalition of voluntary conservation groups who have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic abundance.
For more information contact
NASF headquarters in Reykjavík
Tel: +354 568 6277
Fax: +354 588 4758
e-mail: nasf@vortex.is
For more information contact
ASR headquaters in Oxford, UK
Tel: +44 1865 883063
e-mail: peter@kharlovka.com
Helping the king reclaim his throne
Trout and Salmon talks to Orri Vigfusson, chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, who explains why his organisation's agenda is different from other conservation bodies, and why he has high hopes for the futureT&S: MANY ANGLERS KNOW your name and have read something about the North Atlantic Salmon Fund. But how would you answer a person who said, "I have never heard of NASF. What exactly does it do?"
OV: We are working to restore Atlantic salmon stocks to their previous abundance. We want to see the day when rivers are again so full of wild salmon that we will be able to harvest a sustainable surplus. We believe the only way to do that speedily and efficiently is by making the Atlantic Ocean and all the migration routes a sanctuary for salmon until stocks rebuild.
T&S: That makes sense but it sounds like an enormous task. Why did you get involved?
OV: Fishing fleets from several nations engaged in a huge free-for-all after the salmon's oceanic feeding grounds were discovered off Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes. By 1989 it was clear that the wild Atlantic salmon could be wiped out if the killing continued. I love salmon fishing and I was so concerned that, helped by a few good friends, I launched a conservation group that quickly became NASF. It has grown into a worldwide organisation with helpers, advisers and supporters of many nationalities and active branches in all the salmon- producing countries on both sides of the Atlantic.
T&S: Other organisations are trying to conserve salmon. How is NASF different from them?
OV: Our policy and working agenda is very different. Our objective is abundance. The great majority of fish that are killed die in nets. So the simplest and quickest way of getting more salmon to spawn is to remove or greatly reduce the netting. We prefer this to concentrating on the conservation limits that are usually the aim of inter-governmental agreements. With that type of agreement we have to be satisfied with the minimum number of fish needed to replace themselves. What most people want is the maximum number of fish to provide the greatest sport, sustainable harvests and very significant economic returns for rural areas.
T&S: And how can you do that?
OV: NASF has a very clear agenda. Our aim is to eliminate the most destructive commercial fisheries. These target mixed stocks of salmon from many rivers and several nations. I talk to the commercial fishermen themselves. Most of them are as anxious as anglers to see salmon stocks restored to their former levels. In political terms I explain our philosophy in numerous articles, speeches and presentations allover the world. We also produce policy papers for governments, political leaders, commercial fishing organisations, charitable bodies, conservationists in general and the general public. We sometimes take full-page advertisements in newspapers.
T&S: What did you see as the main problem?
OV: Mixed-stock commercial fishing. The netsmen have no way of knowing if they are killing salmon from rivers that can sustain the loss of the fish or from rivers in such decline that the removal of even small numbers of their remaining spawners can have devastating effects. All the scientists agree that it must be stopped because each river has a distinct stock of salmon.
When shoals from many rivers meet on the feeding grounds or travel together as they return to their home rivers the fish are easy prey and can be caught in large numbers. A net could easily wipe out a river's last wild salmon.
Even when a river's stock is still robust, the only place in which we should harvest them is by the rod fishery within the river itself or by nets in its estuary. Even there the numbers killed by nets or rods must be well within sustainable limits.
T&S: But commercial fishermen fish to earn a living. How can you stop that?
OV: Coming as I do from a fishing family I would never try to deny commercial fishermen the right to earn a living. The only fair way of getting them to volunteer to stop salmon fishing is to offer financial inducements and alternative employment, ideally by finding other, sustainable, fisheries.
We form fair partnerships between governments, the netsmen and all kinds of private funding sources and make good the income the fishermen would otherwise lose.
Then we work together to ensure that all the rescued salmon are given every chance to spawn. The northern lumpfish industries are examples of how other fisheries can be developed. If you buy lumpfish caviar or other lumpfish products in a supermarket they are likely to have come from Greenland or Iceland, where contented commercial fishermen are now enjoying a high standard of living. Last year the Greenlanders exported lumpfish products worth about 7m euros, which represents about 30 per cent of the world export trade.
T&S: How can you afford to do all this?
OV: We make continual fund-raising efforts in many countries. Wherever and whenever possible NASF promotes the better recreational fishing that is bound to result from more salmon reaching their rivers of origin. We encourage catch-and-release until stocks improve but catch-and-release must never be an end in itself. We stage fund-raising salmon dinners around the world and promote the cause of individual rivers in Scotland, Iceland, Ireland and Norway. Our most generous supporters often have to bear the financial brunt of our work but, fortunately, I am not alone in loving the salmon or wanting to see the king of fish reclaim its throne. I am deeply indebted to them all.
T&S: There were many mixed-stock fisheries. How have you tackled them?
OV: The salmon's feeding grounds were the first priority. That was the first phase of our plan. NASF commercial agreements were first made with the fishermen of Greenland and the Faroes. Then the Canadian Government made commercial agreements with their local fishermen.
In the second phase NASF brought agreements in Iceland, Wales and south-west England. Last year five years of negotiation by NASF (UK) and its dedicated secretary, Andrew Whitehead, ended in agreement by most of the mixed-stock nets in the North Sea to stop salmon fishing. The total compensation was £3,340,950. We persuaded the UK Government to put up £1.25m. NASF (UK), aided by the Migratory Salmon Foundation (a charity of which I am chairman), is paying the remaining £2.09m with money contributed by our angler and conservationist supporters. Raising all that cash was far from easy, but the International Salmon Dinner in London last November tipped the balance. We are extremely grateful to the ladies who organised the dinner and the vast number of contributors who have helped find the funds.
At the same time we hope shortly to bring off a similar success in the Northern Ireland Conservancy area. But one must remember that during the past five difficult years NASF also had to maintain its agreements with the high-seas fishermen.
T&S: Surely there is nothing to stop the commercial fishermen just taking your money and then sneaking out to catch more salmon?
OV: The great thing about commercial agreements is that they stick. We have not encountered any cheating anywhere because the commercial netsmen (and long-liners) are just as keen as we are to rebuild salmon stocks. We all want to see the return of salmon abundance.
T&S: To have done all this is quite an achievement. Is your work at an end now?
OV: Far from it. We have completed our Second Phase. We have now begun the Third Phase. NASF is currently soliciting support for schemes to buy out the in-fjord nets in Norway, many of which are substantial mixed-stock fisheries. A pilot scheme for the Trondheim fjord is being prepared.
We are also tackling the problem of the Scottish mixed-stock salmon fisheries as a priority. It cannot be right that we are saving fish on the high seas and from the drift-nets off Northumbria and Yorkshire only to see them taken in coastal nets in Scotland.
"It should be the province of the private sector"
However, it is the places whose rivers historically enjoyed the biggest runs of salmon that have suffered most from the decline. I am referring to the south of England, Wales, Germany, France and Spain. Although they knew that more northerly regions would gain most from their generosity, these areas have been enthusiastic supporters of all the previous NASF projects. I feel more and more indebted to them and I believe that those who have benefited most to date should now help us to help these southern sufferers.
Ireland's drift-nets are the main remaining obstacle to a general European recovery, and Ireland itself would be the first to benefit from their removal. We know that at least 200,000 salmon die off the west coast of Ireland every year, killed legally, illegally and as a result of seals robbing the nets. Many people in Ireland will tell you the toll is much higher than my figure. That does not really matter. These fish come from the rivers of southern England, Wales, Spain, France and Germany as well as Ireland. So we urgently need to get them off. This year I am launching my biggest campaign. Its aim will be to halt this netting by 2007.
T&S: The latest independent report in Ireland says that the economic benefits of a rod-caught salmon is 20 times as great as one caught in a net. The Irish government must be falling over itself to help you?
OV: I am amazed how negative many Irish civil servants are to the idea of turning their rivers into premium waters. We have been very successful with some of the development projects we have introduced in rural areas such as Greenland. Many public-sector employees mistakenly believe that the promotion of such a valuable advance for their rural economy and the management of the marketing should be organised by themselves, the civil servants. Nothing is further from the truth. It should be the exclusive province of the private sector. Private entrepreneurs will not only do it better but also save the taxpayers' money.
T&S: Should Irish taxpayers support you?
OV: They will certainly win from our strategy. NASF has come up with the best idea by far for an Irish Environmental Partnership that is based on a combination of buyouts and set-aside agreements. Those who still want to fish must be limited to some sort of quota. Of course, the public sector must pay to remedy the environmental damage the salmon resource has suffered but the Irish salmon industry, like any other industry, must be run efficiently and without subsidies.
T&S: How far have you got in Ireland?
OV: Despite the apparent inability of CEFAS, the scientists who advise the British government on salmon, to give us access to the latest data on UK tags recovered from Ireland's drift-nets we are at last making progress. We work on several fronts trying to curb Ireland's excessive netting. I am delighted to say that the new regime in DEFRA now appears more sympathetic.
Most people in Ireland (including a majority of the netsmen), would welcome a fair buyout and set-aside scheme. Indeed, the recent independent report that the Irish Government commissioned from INDECON, the international consultants, adopted all our arguments and recommended a buyout. The results of the public consultation that followed that report are now in the hands of the authorities and we await Dublin's decisions.
"Our submission seems to have got lost"
The United Nations convention on the Law of the Sea gives nations of origin the right to have a major role in the management of their migratory stocks while the fish are in the waters of another country. We used the provisions of the convention to make the Irish Government admit this responsibility and we were invited, as a NASF coalition of interested international stakeholders, to submit our views. Our detailed submission seems to have got lost in some official backwater but we will remind Dublin of its existence. The minister responsible for fisheries has still to set the drift-net total allowable catch (TAG) for the coming season. It worries me that the Irish National Salmon Commission has so far always completely ignored the interests of its EU partners.
There has also been diplomatic pressure on Dublin, and the EU has also come into the picture quite strongly. The EU Commissioner for the Environment is investigating complaints from the Wessex Salmon and Rivers Trust and the Wye Foundation that, by killing salmon from then cSAC rivers, Ireland is in breach of the EU Habitats Directive. After several months, Brussels is still waiting for Ireland to reply to this charge.
At the end of January I had a very useful meeting with the European Commission's Director General of Fisheries, Jorgen Holmquist. He had been badly misinformed about the Irish situation and invited me to submit proposals on how the EU could help resolve the problems. At the time of writing he is considering our suggestion that he should head a working group of NASF stakeholders from the interested EU nations to work with the appropriate Irish authorities.
T&S: Is all this work having results in terms of salmon numbers?
OV: I wonder how many salmon would now be left if the agreements to protect them had not been reached and all the fish we have rescued had been denied the chance to spawn. There do seem to be tentative signs of a recovery among multi-sea-winter salmon. This is important because they are the most valuable fish, both in terms of the sport they offer the angler and in the great number of eggs the hen fish deposit when they spawn. So far as the southern half of Britain and the European countries are concerned, then: grilse numbers cannot improve if Ireland continues to intercept so many of their fish. Close the Irish nets and at least 250 million more eggs will he deposited in European headwaters each year.
T&S: And if your theory works and the rivers begin to fill with salmon again, what will you say?
OV: I do believe that day will come. When it arrives I shall say: "At last I can eat wild salmon without worrying
about how many more are left in the sea!"
Orri Vigfusson is the founder and chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund. He promotes rivers in Russia, Scotland, Norway and Ireland. He is also chairman of angling clubs in Iceland that have some spectacular fishing: not only salmon, but the world's best brown trout and arctic char. Readers interested in joining these clubs can contact Orri by e-mail at nasf@vortex.is
Orri will be speaking at the Scottish Countryside Alliance's conference on April 27 at City Hall, Perth.