– It didn’t look so good, this, says biologist Rune Muladal as he climbs up the river bank in Vestre Jakobselv in Finnmark. He has snorkeled over all the pools between Førstefossen and the sea to count spawning salmon, and the numbers are frightening: – One hundred salmon on the entire stretch, and only ten large salmon. Normally there have been several hundred. – We have counted salmon here for 20 years. This is the biggest drop we have seen. The count of spawning salmon gives the same gloomy picture as the catch statistics. It is only six years since Vestre Jakobselv set a new record with 14.6 tonnes of salmon. This year, 2.7 tonnes have been caught – a decrease of 80 per cent from the peak year. Biologists Rune Muladal and Gregor Wierzbinski find little spawning salmon in Vestre Jakobselv in Vadsø municipality in Eastern Finnmark. Photo: news Muladal has also counted salmon in Komagelva, a little further east on the Varanger Peninsula. It is just as deplorable there. – There must be 2 tonnes of spawning female salmon to reach the so-called spawning population target. This year, the spawning population is at half. There is therefore 1 tonne of female salmon missing to be able to say that this is a sound development. Decrease in most rivers The figures from the mentioned rivers are unfortunately typical. Most of the waterways have far fewer salmon this year than normal, says fisheries manager Eirik Frøiland at the State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark. – Some rivers have had a good year with good salmon and good sport fishing. But in most rivers, and perhaps especially in the Varangerfjord, there has been a very poor recovery of salmon. Pål Mugaas in the organization Norske Lakseelver cannot contribute particularly good news. – Agder and Østlandet have had a decent season, but otherwise there are few exceptions in the negative picture, says Mugaas. – We are deeply concerned about the development. Objection is now decreasing from year to year, and we need a huge boost to secure the stocks. Last year there were very good catches in Sør-Trøndelag, but these rivers have also had a lean season this year, according to Mugaas. In a river like the Namsen, less than half of the average catch for the years between 2012 and 2021 has been taken. Long road to recovery Frøiland emphasizes that one bad year is not a sign of a disaster. But now there has been a clear trend over several years. – And then it is important to ask the question whether we must have a lower withdrawal. And that of course applies to both rivers and seas. If there isn’t a harvestable surplus, then we can’t fish either. Rune Muladal emphasizes that it takes time to build up a salmon stock. – It has a smolt age in the river of three to six years. Then it is out in the sea from one to three years. This means that development is very slow from the time you have a strong year class until you get a new strong year class. It can take up to eight years. Humpback salmon do not naturally belong in Norway, but have spread here after releases in Russia. Photo: Nils John Porsanger / news Hardly the fault of the humpback salmon The unwanted humpback salmon from the Pacific Ocean have arrived in Norway in large quantities in recent years. It has been considered a threat to the Atlantic wild salmon. Rune Muladal doubts that it has done extensive damage so far, at least in the rivers he has recently examined. – We don’t see humpback salmon now. There is no overlap in spawn time. We hardly ever see dead fish in the two rivers, he says. – One should not underestimate the humpback salmon. The amounts we can see in the future can have effects. But as of now, it is difficult to point to completely specific negative effects. Eirik Frøiland emphasizes that it is not the levels of humpback salmon that have been experienced so far that cause concern. – What has been seen so far is only the beginning. There could be a lot more humpback salmon in our rivers than there has been. Eirik Frøiland fears extreme numbers of humpback salmon in the future, but does not think it has destroyed that much for the wild salmon in most rivers so far. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news In the humpback salmon’s home ranges in Alaska, there can be such large numbers that dense shoals simply suffocate from a lack of oxygen in warm weather. Frøiland points out that 95 per cent or more of the humpback salmon is caught in most rivers. In total, we are talking about 242,845 humpback salmon. – The salmon that have entered the rivers and are now going to spawn, have had as good as natural conditions and can be left alone and spawn. Tana is an exception; fella has not been able to stop the humpback salmon there. Vestre Jakobselv hunting and fishing association, here by general manager Vidar Isaksen, has handled tons of humpback salmon. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Farming and sea salmon fishing What else is causing the decline in Atlantic salmon is not obvious. But Frøiland points out that several rivers facing the open sea in Finnmark have had a normally good increase in salmon this summer. – The rivers Storelva, Kongsfjordelva, Syltefjordelva, Sandfjordelva and Persfjordelva have relatively good salmon, compared to all that are inside the fjord. In the fjord, there is both upland with associated salmon lice and a significant sea salmon fishery. Frøiland will still not be too firm. – Presumably this is complex. But we have great contrasts within roughly the same area. This indicates that there cannot be bad conditions in the sea.
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Crisis season in a number of salmon rivers – do not think humpback salmon are to blame – news Troms and Finnmark
