The purpose of the Declaration

Wild salmon are in crisis. Human impacts including climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, poor water quality, the over abstraction of rivers, in-river modification, the spread of invasive species, genetic introgression, parasites and pathogens all threaten their future. This Declaration calls for urgent action and a renewed sense of purpose to arrest the decline and accelerate the recovery of wild salmon.

Who should sign the Declaration?

We welcome any individual or organisation signing the Declaration. It especially looks to engage policymakers, businesses and individuals who have the power to affect positive change for wild salmon at scale, across both the Atlantic and Pacific.

Background

The perilous state of wild Atlantic salmon is reflected in a recent species reassessment by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Global populations of Atlantic salmon have been reclassified from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Near Threatened’ with some populations, including those in Great Britain, now classified as ‘Endangered’.

In the Pacific, 70 percent of Pacific salmon are below their long-term average.

The loss of wild salmon would be devastating for humans and the hundreds of other species that depend on them. Wild salmon play a hugely significant role in the history of human civilisation, shaping cultures, traditions and societies. They have enormous cultural, economic and ecological significance across their native ranges.

Wild salmon are critical to the cultural, spiritual, and economic well-being of Indigenous Peoples across the Pacific and Atlantic regions. Recognising the leadership of Indigenous Peoples in salmon conservation is essential to ensuring the survival of wild salmon and the cultures that depend on them.

Declaration

As a signatory to this Declaration, we call upon governments and all organisations involved in the conservation of wild salmon, businesses, conservation organisations, and financial institutions to take strong and bold action to: 

• Deliver strong policies, actions, and funding to address the range of human pressures that threaten wild salmon and ensure wild salmon have free access to cold clean water and healthy rivers and oceans – the conditions they need to thrive.

• Enable action to conserve, protect and restore rivers at a catchment scale and at a pace that is commensurate with the urgency of the crisis.

• Deliver coordinated action to prioritise evidence gaps in understanding the decline in wild salmon populations.

• Recognise the vital importance of the leadership of Indigenous Peoples, whose resilience and stewardship hold the key to restoring balance and safeguarding this shared resource.

• Urgently address the dramatic decline in salmon sea survival rates through actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, including warming oceans and shifts in prey species, and manage human pressures that may impact wild salmon, including; bycatch of wild salmon by the inshore and ocean pelagic fishing fleets, aquaculture, and marine energy infrastructure.

• Develop and implement effective public and private funding mechanisms (including natural capital markets) that will support urgent efforts to deliver the necessary actions detailed in this Declaration.

By signing this Declaration, we also commit to dialogue with a Wild Salmon Connections partner to discuss urgent actions to support wild salmon restoration.

A better future for wild salmon is possible. We must choose to make it so.