Soapbox
Jonathon Muir argues that, divided, we will be conquered
WILD ATLANTIC SALMON ARE now officially an endangered species in much of Great Britain, classified as such by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in December 2023. The situation for this great species couldn’t be more urgent, yet tragically our sector is awash with infighting. What hope do we have in achieving positive change for salmon at the highest levels of government and regulation, as well as holding powerful industries and polluters to account, if we can’t even agree among ourselves? If ever there was a time for us to get behind a common goal and work together, it is now. We need less despair and a greater focus on combining our energies to achieve change. Key to that is putting differences aside and supporting one other.
There are many organisations and individuals working in the salmon conservation sector. Some work locally, some nationally or even internationally. Some represent angling interests alone, and some operate within the wider nature restoration context. Some are activists and campaigners, donning wetsuits, cameras, drones and loudspeakers to publicly call out damaging industries, while others put on business suits and meet with policymakers and industry bodies to lobby for change at the highest levels. Some are ghillies and fishing guides, with a lifetime of experience on the riverbank, and others are hungry young biologists, passionate about using the power of science to secure a better future for an iconic species. Let me be clear —we are all on the same team and everyone has an important place on the pitch. Together we are stronger.
So where are the fault lines? Conservation NGOs and biologists are often accused of “studying salmon into extinction” and chasing a grant money gravy train (if only it were that simple to secure funding for wild salmon!). From my experience, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only within the organisation for which I work but also among our many partner organisations, everyone from the CEOs to the office administrators, and from the biologists out in the field to data crunchers in the labs, is immensely passionate about wild Atlantic salmon. Believe me, we all love this fish and want it to have a thriving future.
The angling com
