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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to sustain and increase the stocks of trout and salmon in rivers and lakes in England and Wales in the face of predation by cormorants and other native and non-native birds.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The answer to Question HL1183 sets out the Government’s approach to managing bird predation on wild Atlantic salmon.

The Environment Agency (EA) manages salmon and sea trout fisheries in England. In 2018 national byelaws effectively closed the remaining salmon net fisheries and adjusted the seasons for the remaining sea trout net fisheries. In 2023, 95% and 89% of recreational salmon and sea trout catches respectively were released, alive. This has been achieved through a combination of voluntary or mandatory measures. Where necessary, the EA has introduced river specific regulatory measures to better protect sea trout, including size restrictions and bag limits.

The EA also works with partner organisations to address other pressures facing salmon and sea trout, such as barriers to fish passage. A full list of actions related to salmon can be found in the England and Wales “Implementation Plan” (copy attached) to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), along with annual progress updates available on NASCO’s website. The EA is currently re-assessing the key pressures on salmon, in England, ahead of producing a new implementation plan in 2025/26.