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Newsletter Number 38 – Blackwater Genetic Study
Salmon Watch fully supports and endorses this important project. The information gathered through the collection and analysis of salmon, sea trout and brown trout scale samples will greatly enhance our collective understanding of the Blackwater catchment, its individual tributary systems and the contribution each makes to the overall fishery. Importantly, this work may help identify […]
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Joint Oireachtas Committee – Salmon Conservation – Newsletter Number 37
Across all submissions to the Committee, one message is clear: Atlantic salmon are in crisis. Despite some gaps in the data, the overall trend is unmistakable—stocks are in sustained decline. Now is the time to act decisively to halt and reverse that decline. In this newsletter, we outline the key evidence presented, reflect on the […]
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Newsletter Number 36 – 10 April- Response to New Salmon Regulations
Please find the response of Salmon Watch Ireland to salmon regulations as signed into law in early April. Some positives but overall a disappointing outcome with little concrete advances to protect wild salmon. We ask that all anglers abide by the code of conduct as laid out in the newsletter. We hope for a better […]
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Newsletter Number 35 – 31 March 2026 -Pollution Portal Salmon Watch Ireland
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Ireland Water Pollution Reporting Portal, designed to make it quicker and easier for the public to report suspected pollution incidents and help protect our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Recent events, including the devastating fish kill on the Blackwater and other serious pollution incidents across […]
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Salmon Aquaculture – History and Information Resource
Salmon Watch Ireland has recently published its latest newsletter examining the relationship between salmon aquaculture and the future of wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout in Ireland. The newsletter outlines key issues currently being discussed in Ireland and internationally, including sea lice, disease risks, regulatory oversight, and the wider environmental debate surrounding open-net salmon […]
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Salmon Watch Ireland Newsletter Number 33- 27 February 2026 Freshwater Survival Newsletter
This edition focuses on one of the most important, and often underestimated, stages in the salmon life cycle — freshwater survival before ocean entry. Drawing on long-term Irish research from systems such as the River Bush, Burrishoole, River Erriff, and southern rivers, the newsletter outlines: Evidence that significant mortality occurs during downstream migration The impact […]
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Pelagic Fisheries and Salmon
We are pleased to share Newsletter 32 (19 February 2026) from Salmon Watch Ireland, focusing on emerging evidence of Atlantic salmon bycatch in pelagic fisheries of the Nordic Seas. This edition highlights: Documented salmon catches during the International Ecosystem Summer Survey in the Nordic Seas (IESSNS), including 126 salmon recorded in 2025 surface trawls. Growing international policy […]
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A changing ecosystem – The decline of Atlantic salmon
In this issue, we introduce recent peer-reviewed scientific research that provides important insight into the continuing decline of Atlantic salmon at sea. While much attention has focused on rivers, the evidence increasingly shows that the greatest losses are occurring in the marine environment — particularly in the critical early weeks after young salmon enter the […]
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Newsletter Number 30 – 07Feb 2025
Salmon Watch Ireland response to updated draft tagging regulations Salmon Watch Ireland acknowledges that the updated draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations 2026 include measures that continue to provide important protection for spring salmon, particularly through the retention of strict controls outside the main summer harvest period. The organisation recognises the importance […]
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Newsletter Number 29 – 30 January 2025
The newsletter opens with an overview of a recent Canadian federal court ruling on salmon aquaculture, which confirmed the right of governments to act decisively and precautionarily in defence of wild salmon, even where such decisions carry significant economic consequences. This case provides a timely and relevant international context for policy and regulatory decisions now […]
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