The figures for sea trout, a species that uses the same rivers as salmon, were also the lowest on record, at 12,636 and 77% of the latest five-year average.
Last year’s catch figures were affected by Covid lockdowns during spring 2021, but the data is consistent with recent trends. In 2018, the last full year before the pandemic, the wild salmon catch set the previous record low of just over 37,600. In 2010, anglers caught over 111,400 salmon