Dear Supporter,

Salmon Watch Ireland’s latest newsletter examines Inland Fisheries Ireland’s 2024 Salmon Monitoring Programme and what its findings tell us about the condition of Ireland’s wild Atlantic salmon.

The report covers electrofishing surveys across 41 catchments and sub-catchments, measuring juvenile salmon abundance at 969 sites. Results ranged from rivers where no salmon fry were recorded to strong juvenile production in rivers such as the Cloonee in Kerry.

Our analysis also considers the River Erriff, Ireland’s National Salmonid Index Catchment, where only 1.3% of PIT-tagged smolts from the 2023 cohort were subsequently detected returning as adults. We examine this exceptionally poor survival alongside the timing of smolt migration, salmon-farm activity and recorded sea-lice levels in Killary Harbour.

These results demonstrate why salmon must be protected throughout their lifecycle—from spawning and juvenile habitat in freshwater to their migration through estuaries, coastal waters and the wider North Atlantic.

Please read our analysis and consult the full IFI report to see how your own river or catchment performed during 2024. The 2023 Erriff report which discusses sea trout in the newsletter is available here: Erriff Report 2023

Report on Electro Fishing 2024 - Newsletter Number 47 - 17 September 2026