Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon (WGNAS)

WGNAS met to consider the status of, and threats to, Atlantic salmon in the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) commission areas: West Greenland (WGC), North American (NAC), and Northeast Atlantic (NEAC). Information on the catch and exploitation, including salmon caught and released, and nominal harvest, as well as tagged and marked fish releases are provided by country and jurisdiction for the entire North Atlantic area.

Numerous countries / jurisdictions reported to ICES on record or near record low returns of 1SW salmon in 2023 and again for 2024, with record low returns of MSW salmon in 2024 reported in five jurisdictions. These record low adult abundances, the estimated declines in post-smolt survival across stock units, and the general absence of any improvements in abundance highlight the concern that large-scale marine stressors at the North Atlantic scale are impacting salmon. While direct management interventions to mitigate the impacts of oceanic factors are limited, management actions to improve survival in, and production from, the in-river, estuarine, and coastal waters are key to species and stock resilience.

Emerging threats were considered, in particular increased levels of lamprey damage on smolts in Lough Neagh (UK Northern Ireland) and a substantial mass mortality of adult salmon Mass mortality of returning salmon to Ballisodare River (Ireland) caused by gill damage by marine phytoplankton, mechanical damage navigating barriers under low water conditions, and secondary Saprolegnia (skin fungus) infections.

New scientific advancements reported on include Quebec using the relationship between 1SW returns in one year and 2SW return the following year, to protect 2SW salmon returns in 2024 on the basis of record low returns of 1SW salmon in 2023.

In 2024, the Northern NEAC 1SW and MSW returns stock components were considered to be at full reproductive capacity, but among the lowest in the time-series. The 2024 estimate of 1SW spawners was considered to be at full reproductive capacity but MSW spawners were considered to be at risk of suffering reduced reproductive capacity with the estimate being the fifth lowest in the time-series.

In 2024, the southern NEAC 1SW and MSW returns stock components were considered to be at risk of suffering reduced reproductive capacity, with the estimates being the fifth and second lowest in the time-series. The 1SW and MSW spawners stock components were considered to be suffering reduced reproductive capacity and both being the fifth lowest in their time-series.

In 2024, the estimated small (mainly 1SW) salmon returns to North American were the lowest since 1973 and have declined relative to the previous five-year mean for all NAC regions, except for the US which remained at low levels. The abundances of large salmon (MSW salmon including maiden and repeat spawners), as well as the 2SW maiden component, returns to North America in 2024 were the lowest of the 55-year time-series and declined relative to the previous five-year mean in all NAC regions.