Are we moving in the right direction?
During the 1980s and 1990s, the estimated number of salmon dropped to one third of the number in the mid eighties. The lowest catch of salmon in the whole of the 20th century was recorded in 1997. Since then, numbers have risen again, but are still considerably lower than in the mid 1980s. Moreover, the positive trend at the turn of the century has stagnated in the last years.
Today, 45 naturally reproducing salmon stocks are considered to be extinct. Over the years, 72 stocks have been lost, but it has been possible to re-establish 27 of them by liming to counteract the effects of acidification or by taking steps to eradicate the parasite Gyrodactylus salaris from river systems. Both these environmental pressures are showing a positive trend, but the impact of salmon farming on wild salmon populations is not under control.