Salmon

(asked on 16th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on salmon stocks in English rivers of seals.


Answered by
Robert Goodwill Portrait
Robert Goodwill
This question was answered on 22nd July 2019

No formal assessment of the effect of seal activity on Atlantic salmon stocks has been made in English rivers.

Although diet studies suggest that seals typically prey on other fish species, seals are known to consume salmon in estuaries, around nets and river mouths. Predation by seals is controlled by regulations including licensed sustainable culling, as well as non-lethal methods such as sound scaring equipment.

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