THE Moray Firth is home to some of the most iconic salmon rivers in the British Isles and, indeed, the world. Famous names such as the Spey, Deveron, Findhorn, Ness, Conon, Oykel and Shin resonate with the legendary status they hold and the special memories many anglers have of them. It is estimated that the rivers that flow out into the Moray Firth sustain around 20% of the UK’s wild Atlantic salmon population, making it a stronghold for the king of fish.
However, as with salmon populations across the Atlantic, all is not well. Across their North Atlantic range, it is thought that wild salmon numbers have declined by around 70% in the past 40 years. One of the major factors believed to have influenced this decline is a large reduction in marine survival. By this we mean the proportion of young salmon (smolts) that exit their natal rivers to head to their feeding grounds off the coast of Norway and Greenland versus the number that return as mature adults
