A review of marine stressors impacting Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, with an assessment of the major threats to English stocks

Atlantic salmon Salmo salar is a socio-economically important anadromous fish species that has suffered synchronous population declines around the North Atlantic over the last five decades. Reduced marine survival has been implicated as a key driver of the declines, yet the relative importance of different stressors causing mortality at sea is not well understood. This review presents a synopsis of the principal stressors impacting Atlantic salmon in estuarine and marine environments. It also applies a semi-quantitative 2-D classification system to assess the relative effects of these stressors on English salmon stocks and their likely development over the next decade. Climate change and predation were identified as the biggest threats at present and over the next decade. Poor water quality and bycatch were classified as relatively high impact stressors, but with a lower likelihood of becoming more prevalent in the future due to available mitigation measures. Other, less influential, stressors included tidal barrages, artificial light at night, impingement in power-station cooling waters and thermal discharges, pile-driving noise pollution, invasive non-native species, electromagnetic fields, salmon mariculture, and tidal lagoons. Salmon fisheries exploitation was not regarded as an important stressor currently because effective exploitation rate controls have been implemented to substantially reduce fishing pressure. Future research priorities include addressing knowledge gaps on expanding stressor impacts from climate change, predation, renewable energy developments, and artificial light at night. Local management actions directed towards improving freshwater and estuarine habitats to maximise ecosystem resilience to stressors and minimise their cumulative impacts are recommended.

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of the main stressors affecting Atlantic salmon in estuarine and marine environments and assesses their relative effects on English salmon stocks and their likely development in the next decade. Climate change and predation are identified as the biggest threats currently and in the future, while poor water quality and bycatch are classified as relatively high impact stressors with a lower likelihood of becoming more prevalent in the future.