Viking Lars | Saturday, 15 June 2024
I hinted at it last weekend and I’ll expand on it here, even if it’s less than enjoyable weekend reading. Not only did we not catch anything - 125 years of salmon fishing experience combined, but in total very few salmon were caught on the Gaula. Sporadic catches throughout the week. All big fish as to be expected in the opening week, but only a few with lice and many caught far up the river which is no surprise the low water levels given. The most productive pool by far, the Gaulfosshøl caught maybe 5 fish the week we were there. That’s the huge pool just below the biggest water fall on the river - a place where even the freshest and strongest salmon hold before moving upstream. That is perhaps the strongest evidence that sonething’s wrong.
I’ve spent a little time looking at river temperatures and water levels over the entire season over the last 20 years. Obviously it’s never the same, but changes aren’t radical. Some years the spring floods are above normal (most perhaps), but that shouldn’t affect the salmon population. The big spring floods usually flushed out the kelts and bring in the first big ones.
I’ve heard Scottish chillies say that the kelts are in someway significant for the first runs of fresh salmon. Salmon are definitely social creatures and the experience is that the fresh salmon hold with kelts for a while, before heading upstream. If that’s the case, maybe the run is delayed, because the salmon are waiting for a more populated river? But there’s really nothing to indicate that the big spring flush in ’24 would have washed out more kelts earlier. My sincere hope is that it’s true.
What’s more worrying is that the same is the case for all the rivers exiting into the Trondheim fjord. Rivers Stjørdal, Lærdal and Oral, apart from the Gaula. Even more worrying is that it’s happening in the Danish and Swedish rivers as rivers. River that otherwise have seen nothing but increasing salmon populations over the last 20-25 years. From the most southern salmon river in Denmark to the most northern ones in the bottom of the Baltic Sea. In River Mörrum in southern Sweden, otherwise known for excellent salmon fishing, has been on a decline for many years, but crashed completely last year, culminating with only three fresh salmon so far in ’24.
The runs in Denmark are so slow that authorities have closed for the outtake of salmon over 73cm completely. They should close it all together, but that’s a different discussion. I haven’t taken a close look at the numbers the last few weeks, but when I left for Norway two weeks ago, 57 salmon were caught. The season opens on April 16th. In ’23 57 salmon were caught during the first two days! And ’23 saw a decline already.
Lower numbers of kelts, predation on the smolt three to six years ago that are now on their spawning, extremely high winter water levels in Denmark, a very early summer in most of Scandinavia - all that can’t explain the seemingly beginning collapse of most Scandinavian salmon rivers.
As far as I’ve heard, not taking a closer look, it’s not entirely the same in Scotland. At least I’ve heard that the three big ones, Spey, Tweed and Tay, have had decent openings. To me it seems clear that something is wrong at sea. What it is we can only speculate. A few Danish researchers have pointed to climate changing the behaviour and habitats of the salmon’s prey. Unless that also represents a collapse, the salmon will adapt - they are highly predatory and they’ll go where the food is (assuming that there’s food anywhere salmon thrive).
I’m not a pessimistic person - far from it. I’m actually usually very optimistic. The inner Danish waters, our fjords and inlets, are gasping for air, already showing massive signs of oxygen depletion and together with the salmon situation, all this is actually affecting my daily, mental state (as if it wasn’t weird enough). I’ve have a 20 year old daughter - even she’s concerned and so are many of her friends and classmates.
I think there’s little doubt that we’re bearing withness to a massive mass collision in slow motion regarding the Earth’s climate. But now I can’t shake the feeling that we’re watching a high speed mass collision of the World’s populations of Atlantic salmon. I've have a serious fear that my generation can be the last to experience fishing for truly wild Atlantic salmon. I sincerely hope that the run can still pick up. I sincerely hope that a week of salmon fishing in Norway (or elsewhere) can provide more that beautiful surroundings for a week of casting practice.
I’m sorry to leave on this dystopian note, but it needs addressing.
Have a great weekend!
Lars
PoD: This is my “I’m happy to be in Norway on my favourite salmon river, but not happy about the state things”-face. Authorities - do something, or I’ll use my camp skills and go full ninja, taking things into my own hands.