– There is an enormous amount of salmon in a twelve kilometer long river, says Øyvind Solem. He is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (Nina). In Ingdalselva in Orkland in Trøndelag, local zealots have managed to turn around the gloomy future prospects for wild salmon. – This is definitely a record, says Solem. Sixfold increase in one year Several thousand years ago, the salmon had natural access to Ingdalselva, because the sea was higher. In recent times, there have only been a couple of salmon that have managed to find their way a few hundred meters up the river, where they are stopped by Ingdalsfossen. The species has not had it all easy in recent years. It is threatened by escaped farmed salmon, salmon lice and the development of waterways. Last year, wild salmon ended up on the red list of species at risk of disappearing from Norway. In the 90s, several of the local population at Ingdalselva began to carry the salmon up the waterfall. In 2007, a fishing ladder built on charity was completed. This year, the counter in the fish ladder has registered a total of 1,722 salmon. By comparison, 313 salmon were counted in the river last year. Øyvind Solem is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (Nina). He believes that the local population can largely be thanked for the increase in wild salmon in the river. Photo: Jørn J. Fremstad / Nina Complex reasons According to the researcher, the reasons for the record year in the river are complex. It has been a good year for the salmon in the lake and several rivers have experienced more fish this year. In Ingdalselva, the landowners have also managed the salmon population. They have done this by not selling fishing licenses on the upper side of the salmon ladder. Although several rivers have experienced an increase in salmon this year, Solem believes that Ingdalselva is still a special case: – It is a watercourse that has not had salmon for thousands of years. A formidable effort has been made by the locals, they have really persevered, says Solem. Disappointing report Although Ingdalselva has record numbers, fewer and fewer wild salmon are returning to Norwegian rivers, shows a new report from the Swedish Research Council. Central Norway and Western Norway are the regions that have experienced the biggest decline in the long term. The report estimates that the number of wild salmon returning to Norwegian rivers has halved since the 1980s. At the same time, the number of salmon spawning is greater than ever. – When they go out to sea, they probably encounter more difficult conditions now than 40 years ago, says Peder Fiske, senior researcher at Nina. The salmon returning to the rivers are smaller than before. The researchers are not sure what causes this. – It could be that there have been more of other species, which can compete with the prey for food, or that the sea has become warmer. There are many possible explanations, but we don’t have any answers with two lines underneath, says Fiske.
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Volunteer work in Ingdalselva has led to a record year for wild salmon – news Trøndelag
