Research and analysis

Salmonid and freshwater fisheries statistics for 2023

Published 7 October 2024

Applies to England and Wales

This report provides a summary of the declared catches of salmon, sea trout, eels, smelt and lamprey by rods, nets and other fishing instruments for 2023. It covers England, Wales and the Border Esk in Scotland.

The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales use catch return data to assess and manage salmon and sea trout stocks in a sustainable way.

The catch data represents declared catches for 2023. You should not accept it as a definitive record of the total numbers of fish landed.

See data.gov.uk for the salmonid and freshwater fisheries statistics data tables.

1. Status of salmon stocks

The 2023 assessment of salmon stocks in England and Wales shows that the status of salmon populations continues to be of concern. The assessment places each river’s salmon stock into 1 of 4 categories with the strongest classed as ‘not at risk’ and the weakest as ‘at risk’.

In England:

• 38 of 42 principal salmon rivers were assessed as being ‘at risk’ or ‘probably at risk’
• one was categorised as ‘not at risk’

In Wales:

• all 22 principal salmon rivers were assessed as being ‘at risk’
• none were categorised as ‘not at risk’

State of 64 principal salmon rivers in England and Wales 2023

Salmon rivers in England and Wales are assessed against a management objective.

The management objective is the probability of a river’s salmon population exceeding its conservation limit in 4 years out of 5. The conservation limit is the minimum spawning stock level below which stocks should not be allowed to fall.

Salmon stock status in England 2023

	Number of rivers	Percentage of total
Not at risk	1	2%
Probably not at risk	3	7%
Probably at risk	6	14%
At risk	32	76%

Please note that decimal places may be rounded up to the nearest whole percentage.

Salmon stock status in Wales 2023

	Number of rivers	Percentage of total
Not at risk	0	0%
Probably not at risk	0	0%
Probably at risk	0	0%
At risk	22	100%

Percentage of principal salmon rivers in each risk category assessed against the management objective, for 2006 to 2023 and a projection to 2028 for rivers in England

Salmon stock status (% principal salmon rivers in each category)	Not at risk	Probably not at risk	Probably at risk	At risk	Total
2006	21	19	21	38	100
2007	21	21	17	40	100
2008	24	33	7	36	100
2009	14	31	24	31	100
2010	26	21	19	33	100
2011	24	24	29	24	100
2012	17	29	29	26	100
2013	14	17	31	38	100
2014	0	10	67	24	100
2015	0	19	52	29	100
2016	0	10	57	33	100
2017	0	14	64	21	100
2018	0	10	62	29	100
2019	0	7	36	57	100
2020	2	10	40	48	100
2021	2	10	14	74	100
2022	2	12	14	71	100
2023	2	7	14	76	100
2028 projection	0	10	26	64	100

Please note the decimal places may be rounded up to the nearest whole number.

Percentage of principal salmon rivers in each risk category assessed against the management objective, for 2006 to 2023 and a projection to 2028 for rivers in Wales

Salmon stock status (% principal salmon rivers in each category)	Not at risk	Probably not at risk	Probably at risk	At risk	Total
2006	9	18	18	55	100
2007	5	27	14	55	100
2008	9	23	32	36	100
2009	5	23	32	41	100
2010	9	14	36	41	100
2011	9	23	18	50	100
2012	9	14	27	50	100
2013	5	9	18	68	100
2014	0	0	50	50	100
2015	0	5	45	50	100
2016	0	5	45	50	100
2017	0	5	50	45	100
2018	0	0	45	55	100
2019	0	0	27	73	100
2020	0	0	32	68	100
2021	0	0	9	91	100
2022	0	0	5	95	100
2023	0	0	0	100	100
2028 projection	0	0	5	95	100

Please note the decimal places may be rounded up to the nearest whole number.

2. Rod and net licence catch returns

For net catch returns, 99.03% of logbooks were accounted for in 2023.

The Environment Agency sent a total of 37,542 catch return reminders to salmon and sea trout licence holders. Reminders stated that licence holders must submit their catch returns at the end of the season (by 1 January). This is a requirement even if no fish are caught.

The total number of rod catch returns received for the 2023 season was 12,965 (58.7% of the total licences issued).

The Environment Agency introduced an updated online catch return service in 2018. The number and percentage of paper and online catch returns is shown in the following table.

Number and percentage of paper and online catch returns, 2018 to 2023

Year	Total returns	Licences issued	% of catch returns	Paper returns	Paper (%)	Online returns	Online (%)
2018	20,736	31,655	65.5%	5,239	25.3%	15,497	74.7%
2019	23,539	31,099	75.7%	4,974	21.1%	18,565	78.9%
2020	19,794	28,758	68.8%	3,531	17.8%	16,263	82.2%
2021	16,463	23,388	70.4%	2,438	14.8%	14,025	85.2%
2022	12,469	21,874	57.0%	1,527	12.2%	10,942	87.8%
2023	12,965	22,077	58.7%	2,169	16.7%	10,796	83.3%

3. National overview and summary of main findings

England and Wales summary of declared salmon and sea trout rod catches in 2023 showing percentage change on 2022 and the 5-year mean (2018 to 2022)

The following table includes salmon and sea trout rod licences only.

Rods	2023	2022	5-year mean (2018 to 2022)	% change 2023 on 2022	% change 2023 on 5-year mean
Licences issued	22,077	21,874	27,355	0.9%	-19.3%
Days declared fished	86,773	76,206	101,453	13.9%	-14.5%
Salmon caught	5,188	6,387	8,144	-18.8%	-36.3%
Salmon released	4,929	6,110	7,497	-19.3%	-34.3%
% released	95.0%	95.7%	92.1%	-0.7%	3.2%
Sea trout caught	11,125	10,112	15,371	10%	-27.6%
Sea trout released	9,866	9,041	13,317	9.1%	-25.9%
% released	88.7%	89.4%	86.6%	-0.7%	2.4%

Summary of declared salmon and sea trout net catches in England and Wales for 2023 showing percentage change on 2022 and the 5-year mean (2018 to 2022)

Nets	2023	2022	5-year mean (2018 to 2022)	% change 2023 on 2022	% change 2023 on 5-year mean
Licences issued	140	144	170	-2.8%	-17.6%
Salmon caught	486	556	2,661	-12.6%	-81.7%
Sea trout caught	6,769	8,013	12,981	-15.5%	-47.9%

Rods summary

The number of salmon and sea trout rod licences issued in England and Wales (22,077) increased by 0.9% compared with 2022. This represents a 19.3% decrease when compared with the 5-year mean (27,355).

The total declared salmon caught by rod in England and Wales (5,188) decreased by 18.8% compared with 2022 (6,387). This represents a 36.3% decrease when compared with the 5-year mean (8,144).

The total declared sea trout caught by rod in England and Wales (11,125) increased by 10% compared with 2022 (10,112). This represents a 27.6% decrease when compared with the 5-year mean (15,371).

Catch-and-release rates for rod caught salmon in England and Wales (95%) and sea trout (88.7%) showed a decrease of 0.7% for salmon and 0.7% for sea trout when compared with 2022.

Anglers using a fly caught 2,927 salmon (33.85%) and 6,353 sea trout (34.80%). Spinning yielded 1,756 salmon (33.85%) and 3,872 sea trout (34.80%). Bait captured 471 salmon (9.08%) and 810 sea trout (7.28%). There was no method information for 34 salmon captures (0.66%) and 90 sea trout captures (0.81%).

The River Tyne had the highest declared rod catch of salmon (1,516). This accounted for 29.22% of the total for England and Wales. Next were the Wear (477), Coquet (384) and Esk Border (295).

The River Tyne had the highest declared rod catch of sea trout (1,222). This accounted for 10.98% of the total for England and Wales. Next were the Teifi (769) Wear (764), Esk Yorkshire (611).

Nets summary

A total of 140 salmon and migratory trout commercial net licences were issued. This compares with 144 in 2022, and a 5-year mean of 170. Since 1985, there has been an 86.35% reduction in the number of net licences issued annually in England and Wales (from 1,026 to 140).

The England and Wales salmon net catch (486) decreased by 12.6% compared with 2022 (556) and decreased by 81.7% when compared with the 5-year mean (2,661). The North East showed a decrease in salmon caught (73 to 34), and the North West also showed a decrease (236 to 193). Wales showed an increase in salmon caught (233 to 252).

Of the 486 salmon caught by net fishers in England and Wales in 2023, 100% were released.

The average weight of net caught salmon was 4.49kg. This compares with an average weight of 4.50kg for rod caught salmon. In 2022, the average weight of net caught salmon was 4.3kg and that for rod caught salmon was 4.39kg.

A total of 6,769 sea trout were declared caught by the net fisheries in England and Wales in 2023, a decrease of 15.5% compared with the 2022 catch of 8,013 and a decrease of 47.9% compared with the 5-year mean of 12,981.

The average weight of net caught sea trout was 1.79kg. This compares with an average weight of 1.03kg for rod caught sea trout. In 2022, the average weight of net caught sea trout was 1.77kg and that for rod caught sea trout was 1kg.

Number of net and fixed engine licences issued (1985 to 2023) and total number of days fished by salmon and sea trout rod licence holders (1994 to 2023), England and Wales

The term ‘fixed engine’ is an ancient one used in the UK as a general descriptor of stationary fishing gears.

Number of net and fixed engine licences issued between 1985 and 2023

Year	Net licences
1985	1,026
1986	1,016
1987	983
1988	908
1989	923
1990	933
1991	789
1992	837
1993	760
1994	716
1995	677
1996	613
1997	593
1998	484
1999	498
2000	449
2001	444
2002	432
2003	417
2004	395
2005	385
2006	363
2007	357
2008	333
2009	317
2010	319
2011	308
2012	294
2013	304
2014	283
2015	272
2016	269
2017	269
2018	231
2019	154
2020	154
2021	166
2022	144
2023	140

Total number of days fished by salmon and sea trout rod licence holders between 1994 and 2023

Year	Rod days
1994	292,449
1995	243,288
1996	231,744
1997	269,705
1998	233,401
1999	187,998
2000	177,532
2001	134,853
2002	181,850
2003	172,729
2004	191,205
2005	186,877
2006	148,307
2007	164,679
2008	171,033
2009	183,287
2010	195,086
2011	196,902
2012	167,257
2013	164,449
2014	144,914
2015	141,811
2016	135,393
2017	141,943
2018	106,056
2019	125,297
2020	107,776
2021	91,930
2022	76,206
2023	86,773

Total declared salmon rod catch for England and Wales, 1956 to 2023

The long term mean is 18,175.

There is no data for released salmon rod catch from 1956 to 1992.

Year	Killed	Released	Total
1956	19,955		19,955
1957	21,090		21,090
1958	26,209		26,209
1959	17,440		17,440
1960	20,873		20,873
1961	16,138		16,138
1962	24,743		24,743
1963	30,145		30,145
1964	25,034		25,034
1965	28,594		28,594
1966	35,353		35,353
1967	29,735		29,735
1968	16,860		16,860
1969	16,306		16,306
1970	19,180		19,180
1971	19,869		19,869
1972	24,889		24,889
1973	21,020		21,020
1974	24,197		24,197
1975	24,300		24,300
1976	10,779		10,779
1977	19,219		19,219
1978	17,605		17,605
1979	14,108		14,108
1980	21,145		21,145
1981	22,190		22,190
1982	13,524		13,524
1983	14,815		14,815
1984	11,022		11,022
1985	19,601		19,601
1986	20,347		20,347
1987	19,702		19,702
1988	32,876		32,876
1989	14,721		14,721
1990	14,849		14,849
1991	13,974		13,974
1992	14,319		14,319
1993	17,294	1,448	18,742
1994	21,664	3,227	24,891
1995	12,819	3,187	16,006
1996	14,016	3,428	17,444
1997	9,915	3,132	13,047
1998	11,738	5,371	17,109
1999	7,058	5,447	12,505
2000	10,126	7,470	17,596
2001	8,240	6,143	14,383
2002	7,624	7,658	15,282
2003	5,094	6,425	11,519
2004	14,125	13,211	27,336
2005	9,435	11,983	21,418
2006	8,550	10,959	19,509
2007	9,071	10,913	19,984
2008	10,477	13,035	23,512
2009	6,465	9,096	15,561
2010	10,134	14,691	24,825
2011	8,812	14,196	23,008
2012	6,498	11,957	18,455
2013	4,462	10,458	14,920
2014	2,315	7,992	10,307
2015	2,150	8,111	10,261
2016	2,367	9,701	12,068
2017	2,315	11,256	13,571
2018	930	6,858	7,788
2019	992	8,171	9,163
2020	754	10,812	11,566
2021	280	5,534	5,814
2022	277	6,110	6,387
2023	259	4,929	5,188

Total declared sea trout rod catch for England and Wales, 1978 to 2023

The long term mean is 31,958.

There is no data for released sea trout rod catch from 1978 to 1992.

Year	Killed	Released	Total
1978	30,966		30,966
1979	47,462		47,462
1980	40,668		40,668
1981	45,152		45,152
1982	38,730		38,730
1983	39,157		39,157
1984	30,560		30,560
1985	32,379		32,379
1986	36,882		36,882
1987	55,863		55,863
1988	49,618		49,618
1989	22,910		22,910
1990	17,031		17,031
1991	21,951		21,951
1992	14,742		14,742
1993	18,931	7,754	26,685
1994	29,184	16,575	45,759
1995	16,091	11,244	27,335
1996	16,825	12,860	29,685
1997	17,302	12,840	30,142
1998	23,978	24,334	48,312
1999	24,035	22,762	46,797
2000	20,628	20,694	41,322
2001	18,061	22,331	40,392
2002	24,626	25,170	49,796
2003	20,698	24,403	45,101
2004	16,611	19,489	36,100
2005	16,590	23,729	40,319
2006	9,940	14,329	24,269
2007	12,622	16,776	29,398
2008	11,488	16,219	27,707
2009	11,620	18,739	30,359
2010	11,533	26,010	37,543
2011	9,884	25,680	35,564
2012	8,859	21,841	30,700
2013	6,820	22,607	29,427
2014	6,105	23,455	29,560
2015	6,348	21,503	27,851
2016	5,988	19,791	25,779
2017	5,251	16,884	22,135
2018	1,994	11,614	13,608
2019	3,113	18,217	21,330
2020	2,629	16,648	19,277
2021	1,462	11,067	12,529
2022	1,071	9,041	10,112
2023	1,259	9,866	11,125

Total declared salmon net and fixed engine catch for England and Wales, 1956 to 2023

The long term mean is 45,711.

Year	Excluding North East coast	North East coast	Total
1956	29,564	6,661	36,225
1957	29,921	6,670	36,591
1958	26,264	7,811	34,075
1959	29,861	10,441	40,302
1960	27,792	15,856	43,648
1961	22,699	11,635	34,334
1962	33,469	20,090	53,559
1963	32,858	12,432	45,290
1964	32,907	15,040	47,947
1965	28,980	16,181	45,161
1966	38,336	15,634	53,970
1967	38,594	26,359	64,953
1968	24,630	24,750	49,380
1969	29,800	49,824	79,624
1970	30,253	94,991	125,244
1971	29,639	60,353	89,992
1972	31,504	51,681	83,185
1973	30,924	62,842	93,766
1974	27,372	52,756	80,128
1975	35,311	53,451	88,762
1976	27,814	15,701	43,515
1977	22,175	52,888	75,063
1978	23,890	51,630	75,520
1979	17,814	43,464	61,278
1980	23,293	45,780	69,073
1981	29,736	69,113	98,849
1982	16,598	50,167	66,765
1983	24,903	77,277	102,180
1984	23,954	59,295	83,249
1985	18,576	57,356	75,932
1986	27,022	63,425	90,447
1987	27,585	36,143	63,728
1988	26,468	50,849	77,317
1989	27,487	41,453	68,940
1990	20,297	51,530	71,827
1991	12,246	25,429	37,675
1992	13,705	20,144	33,849
1993	15,281	41,800	57,081
1994	19,903	46,554	66,457
1995	14,449	53,210	67,659
1996	14,099	18,581	32,680
1997	9,537	21,922	31,459
1998	6,914	18,265	25,179
1999	7,313	26,833	34,146
2000	7,644	43,354	50,998
2001	7,128	36,115	43,243
2002	7,299	30,980	38,279
2003	6,784	10,435	17,219
2004	5,564	11,017	16,581
2005	6,914	9,897	16,811
2006	6,012	7,566	13,578
2007	3,831	7,091	10,922
2008	2,668	6,130	8,798
2009	2,110	5,395	7,505
2010	2,633	19,982	22,615
2011	1,682	24,214	25,896
2012	1,130	7,299	8,429
2013	1,500	16,643	18,143
2014	1,766	10,210	11,976
2015	1,269	15,863	17,132
2016	1,488	18,824	20,307
2017	712	9,157	10,133
2018	1,212	9,433	10,645
2019	324	129	453
2020	612	288	900
2021	618	131	749
2022	483	73	556
2023	452	34	486

Total declared sea trout net and fixed engine catch for England and Wales, 1978 to 2023

The long term mean is 45,954.

Year	Excluding North East coast	North East coast	Total
1978	17,709	37,591	55,300
1979	23,352	44,315	67,667
1980	31,351	65,855	97,206
1981	23,852	59,481	83,333
1982	23,374	55,979	79,353
1983	24,442	60,069	84,511
1984	31,623	64,076	95,699
1985	17,351	50,779	68,130
1986	14,735	47,717	62,452
1987	20,217	49,339	69,556
1988	18,899	54,285	73,184
1989	20,118	71,369	91,487
1990	11,777	44,417	56,194
1991	10,250	40,653	50,903
1992	9,834	32,069	41,903
1993	8,073	31,814	39,887
1994	9,759	51,136	60,895
1995	9,689	54,439	64,128
1996	7,861	27,398	35,259
1997	6,464	28,522	34,986
1998	4,899	22,260	27,159
1999	7,610	32,458	40,068
2000	6,635	39,387	46,022
2001	8,994	35,932	44,926
2002	6,478	30,540	37,018
2003	7,477	21,771	29,248
2004	6,313	19,742	26,055
2005	4,656	18,773	23,429
2006	2,819	22,492	25,311
2007	2,785	17,566	20,351
2008	3,109	24,865	27,974
2009	3,798	26,957	30,755
2010	4,683	55,546	60,229
2011	2,922	28,637	31,559
2012	2,465	21,953	24,418
2013	3,182	40,194	43,376
2014	4,606	44,644	49,250
2015	4,726	59,742	64,468
2016	2,940	38,863	41,803
2017	1,630	35,148	36,778
2018	1,574	22,508	24,082
2019	926	13,673	14,599
2020	1,801	10,902	12,703
2021	776	4,731	5,507
2022	1,052	6,961	8,013
2023	958	5,811	6,769

4. Area catch summaries (2023, 2022 and 5-year mean)

Summary of salmon rod catches by area

Country or Environment Agency area	2023	2022	5-year mean (2018-2022)	% change (+/-) 2023 on 2022	% change (+/-) 2023 on 5-year mean
North East	2,495	3,205	3,572	-22.2%	-30.2%
Anglian	0	0	0	0%	0%
South East	144	157	228	-8.3%	-36.9%
South West	495	458	696	8.1%	-28.9%
Midlands	52	63	144	-17.5%	-64.0%
North West	1,154	1,614	2,149	-28.5%	-46.3%
England	4,340	5,497	6,789	-21.0%	-36.1%
Wales	848	882	1,353	-3.9%	-37.3%
England and Wales	5,188	6,387	8,144	-18.8%	-36.3%

Summary of sea trout rod catches by area

Country or Environment Agency area	2023	2022	5-year mean (2018-2022)	% change (+/-) 2023 on 2022	% change (+/-) 2023 on 5-year mean
North East	2,911	1,982	2,383	46.9%	22.2%
Anglian	0	0	0.4	0%	-100%
South East	681	537	803	26.8%	-15.2%
South West	1,936	1,529	2,886	26.6%	-32.9%
Midlands	0	5	8	-100%	-100.0%
North West	2,140	2,485	3,275	-13.9%	-34.7%
England	7,668	6,538	9,355	17.3%	-18.0%
Wales	3,457	3,574	6,015	-3.3%	-42.5%
England and Wales	11,125	10,112	15,371	10%	-27.6%

Summary of salmon net and fixed engine catches by area

Country or Environment Agency area	2023	2022	5-year mean (2018-2022)	% change (+/-) 2023 on 2022	% change (+/-) 2023 on 5-year mean
North East	34	73	2,011	-53.4%	-98.3%
Anglian	0	0	0.4	0%	-100%
South East	0	0	0	0%	0%
South West	1	4	51	-75.0%	-98.0%
Midlands	6	10	33	-40%	-82.0%
North West	193	236	355	-18.2%	-45.6%
England	234	323	2,450	-27.6%	-90.5%
Wales	252	233	210	8.2%	19.9%
England and Wales	486	556	2,661	-12.6%	-81.7%

Summary of sea trout net and fixed engine catches by area

Country or Environment Agency area	2023	2022	5-year mean (2018-2022)	% change (+/-) 2023 on 2022	% change (+/-) 2023 on 5-year mean
North East	5,811	6,961	11,755	-16.5%	-50.6%
Anglian	98	58	128	69.0%	-23.2%
South East	0	0	0	0%	0%
South West	43	88	102	-51.1%	-57.8%
Midlands	0	0	1	0%	-100%
North West	207	218	308	-5.0%	-32.8%
England	6,159	7,325	12,293	-15.9%	-49.9%
Wales	610	688	688	-11.3%	-11.3%
England & Wales	6,769	8,013	12,981	-15.5%	-47.9%

5. River catch summaries by area for rod and net fisheries, 2023

Salmon rod catches

North East salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Aln	1	1	100%
Coquet	384	360	93.8%
Esk Yorkshire	54	52	96.3%
Ouse Yorkshire	48	48	100%
Tees	15	15	100%
Tyne	1,516	1,366	90.1%
Wear	477	443	92.9%
Other	0	0	0%
Total	2,495	2,285	91.6%

South East salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Itchen	85	85	100%
Test	59	59	100%
Other	0	0	0%
Total	144	144	100%

South West salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Avon Devon	2	2	100%
Avon Hants	38	38	100%
Axe	0	0	0%
Camel	38	36	94.7%
Dart	9	8	88.9%
Erme	5	5	100%
Exe	67	65	97.0%
Fowey	64	64	100%
Frome	16	15	93.8%
Lyn	9	9	100%
Lynher	55	55	100%
Plym	8	7	87.5%
Tamar	84	76	90.5%
Tavy	6	6	100%
Taw	52	51	98.1%
Teign	25	21	84.0%
Torridge	17	17	100%
Yealm	0	0	0%
Other	0	0	0%
Total	495	475	96%

Midlands salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Severn	52	52	100%
Other	0	0	0%
Total	52	52	100%

North West salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Calder	4	4	100%
Crake	6	6	100%
Derwent	112	108	96.4%
Duddon	45	43	95.6%
Eden North West	259	259	100%
Ehen	66	54	81.8%
Ellen	0	0	0%
Esk Border	295	295	100%
Esk Cumbrian	33	30	90.9%
Irt	12	11	91.7%
Kent	57	52	91.2%
Leven	13	13	100%
Lune	109	109	100%
Ribble	138	137	99.3%
Wyre North West	2	2	100%
Other	3	3	100%
Total	1,154	1,126	97.6%

England salmon rod catch total

Total salmon rod catches for 2023:

• salmon caught: 4,340
• salmon released: 4,082
• percentage released: 94.1%

Wales salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Afan	1	1	100%
Artro	1	1	100%
Cleddau	22	22	100%
Clwyd	5	5	100%
Conwy	34	34	100%
Dee	164	164	100%
Dwyfawr	6	6	100%
Dwyryd	3	3	100%
Dyfi/Dovey	63	63	100%
Dysynni	3	3	100%
Glaslyn	1	1	100%
Gwendraeth Fach	0	0	0%
Gwyrfai	0	0	0%
Loughor/Llwchwr	4	4	100%
Mawddach	14	14	100%
Neath	1	1	100%
Nevern	8	8	100%
Ogmore	2	1	50%
Ogwen	21	21	100%
Rheidol	2	2	100%
Seiont	2	2	100%
Taf	3	3	100%
Taff	2	2	100%
Tawe	6	6	100%
Teifi	108	108	100%
Tywi/Towy	135	135	100%
Usk	51	51	100%
Wye	178	178	100%
Ystwyth	1	1	100%
Other	7	7	100%
Total	848	847	99.9%

England and Wales salmon rod catch total

Total salmon rod catches for 2023:

• salmon caught: 5,188
• salmon released: 4,929
• percentage released: 95%

Sea trout rod catches

North East sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Aln	7	5	71.4%
Coquet	276	236	85.5%
Esk Yorkshire	611	522	85.4%
Ouse Yorkshire	5	5	100%
Tees	9	8	88.9%
Tyne	1,222	998	81.7%
Wear	764	654	85.6%
Other	17	13	76.5%
Total	2,911	2,441	83.9%

Anglian sea trout rod catches

There were no sea trout caught in the Anglian area in 2023.

South East sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Beaulieu	18	16	88.9%
Itchen	334	317	94.9%
Lymington	22	21	95.5%
Ouse Sussex	9	9	100%
Rother Western	8	8	100%
Test	223	216	96.9%
Thames	1	1	100%
Other	66	61	92.4%
Total	681	649	95.3%

South West sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Avon Devon	39	38	97.4%
Avon Hants	100	94	94.0%
Axe	220	186	84.5%
Brit	0	0	0%
Camel	238	217	91.2%
Dart	151	130	86.1%
Erme	13	13	100%
Exe	6	6	100%
Fowey	107	92	86.0%
Frome	171	150	87.7%
Looe	4	4	100%
Lyn	0	0	0%
Lynher	39	39	100%
Otter	69	62	89.9%
Piddle	0	0	0%
Plym	19	13	68.4%
Stour (South West)	2	2	100%
Tamar	285	266	93.3%
Tavy	46	37	80.4%
Taw	62	56	90.3%
Teign	306	260	85.0%
Torridge	47	35	74.5%
Yealm	0	0	0%
Other	12	12	100%
Total	1,936	1,712	88.4%

Midlands sea trout rod catches

There were no sea trout caught in the Midlands area in 2023.

North West sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Calder	3	2	66.7%
Crake	9	9	100%
Derwent	81	80	98.8%
Duddon	93	86	92.5%
Eden North West	149	143	96.0%
Ehen	179	174	97.2%
Ellen	13	12	92.3%
Esk Border	385	356	92.5%
Esk Cumbrian	92	84	91.3%
Irt	83	80	96.4%
Kent	245	228	93.1%
Leven	8	8	100%
Lune	408	334	81.9%
Ribble	338	311	92.0%
Wyre North West	10	10	100%
Other	44	44	100%
Total	2,140	1,961	91.6%

England sea trout rod catch total

Total sea trout rod catches for 2023:

• sea trout caught: 7,668
• sea trout released: 6,763
• percentage released: 88.2%

Wales sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Aeron	57	45	78.9%
Afan	31	31	100%
Artro	19	8	42.1%
Cefni	2	2	100%
Cleddau	45	37	82.2%
Clwyd	207	195	94.2%
Conwy	209	194	92.8%
Dee	150	136	90.7%
Dwyfach	0	0	0%
Dwyfawr	125	111	88.8%
Dwyryd	28	27	96.4%
Dyfi/Dovey	486	431	88.7%
Dysynni	80	73	91.3%
Glaslyn	173	166	96.0%
Gwendraeth Fach	77	72	93.5%
Gwyrfai	0	0	0%
Llyfni	9	9	100%
Loughor/Llwchwr	4	4	100%
Mawddach	129	124	96.1%
Neath	38	38	100%
Nevern	70	61	87.1%
Ogmore	57	55	96.5%
Ogwen	118	93	78.8%
Rheidol	40	38	95.0%
Rhymney	1	1	100%
Seiont	1	1	100%
Taf	3	2	66.7%
Taff	3	3	100%
Tawe	19	19	100%
Teifi	769	663	86.2%
Tywi/Towy	406	371	91.4%
Usk	9	9	100%
Wye	6	6	100%
Ystwyth	49	48	98.0%
Other	37	30	81.1%
Total	3,457	3,103	89.8%

England and Wales sea trout rod catch total

Total sea trout rod catches for 2023:

• sea trout caught: 11,125
• sea trout released: 9,866
• percentage released: 88.7%

Salmon net catches

North East salmon net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Northumbria (D1)	T nets	12	45.01
Yorkshire (3-7)	T or J nets	22	124.55
Whole area	Total	34	169.57

Anglian salmon net catches

There were no salmon net catches in the Anglian net fishery in 2023.

South East (Southern) salmon net catches

There were no salmon net catches in the South East (Southern) net fishery in 2023.

South West salmon net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Poole Harbour	Seine nets	0	0
Teign	Seine nets	1	4.53
Whole area	Total	1	4.53

Midlands salmon net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Whole area	Lave nets	6	25.85
Whole area	Total	6	25.85

North West salmon net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Lune	Haaf nets	43	196.86
Kent	Lave nets	0	0
Leven	Lave nets	0	0
Eden and Esk (Solway)	Haaf nets	150	702.61
Eden	Coop traps	0	0
Whole area	Total	193	899.47

England total salmon net catches

Total salmon net catches for 2023:

• salmon total number: 234
• salmon total weight: 1,099.43kg

Wales salmon net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Wye	Lave nets	0	0
Tywi/Towy	Seine nets	20	83.01
Tywi/Towy	Coracle nets	63	266.71
Tywi/Towy	River total	83	349.72
Taf	Wade net	0	0
Taf	Coracle nets	1	3.63
Taf	River total	1	3.63
Cleddau (East and West)	Compass nets	1	2.72
Nevern	Seine nets	0	0
Teifi	Seine nets	0	0
Teifi	Coracle nets	167	724.84
Teifi	River total	167	724.84
Dyfi/Dovey	Seine nets	0	0
Dysynni	Seine nets	0	0
Mawddach	Seine nets	0	0
Conwy	Basket trap	0	0
Conwy	Seine nets	0	0
Conwy	River total	0	0
Wales	Total	252	1,080.91

England and Wales salmon net catch total

Total salmon net catches for 2023:

• salmon caught: 486
• salmon total weight: 2,180.34kg

Sea trout net catches

North East sea trout net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Northumbria (D1)	T nets	1,609	2,781.81
Yorkshire (3-7)	T or J nets	4,202	7,851.45
Whole area	Total	5,811	10,633.27

Anglian sea trout net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Coastal	Drift nets	77	102.46
Coastal	Other nets	21	24.04
Whole area	Total	98	126.50

South East (Southern) sea trout net catches

There were no sea trout net catches in the South East (Southern) net fishery in 2023.

South West sea trout net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Teign	Seine nets	43	63.84
Whole area	Total	43	63.84

Midlands sea trout net catches

There were no sea trout net catches in the Midlands net fishery in 2023.

North West sea trout net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Lune	Haaf nets	62	123.40
Kent	Lave nets	0	0
Leven	Lave nets	0	0
Solway	Haaf nets	145	173.72
Eden	Coop traps	0	0
Whole area	Total	207	297.12

England total sea trout net catches

Total number of sea trout net catches for 2023:

• sea trout caught: 6,159
• sea trout total weight: 11,120.75kg

Wales sea trout net catches

River or fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Tywi/Towy	Seine nets	54	75.30
Tywi/Towy	Coracle nets	111	247.43
Tywi/Towy	River total	165	322.73
Taf	Wade net	0	0
Taf	Coracle nets	3	4.54
Taf	River total	3	4.54
Cleddau (East and West)	Compass nets	2	4.50
Nevern	Seine nets	0	0
Teifi	Seine nets	0	0
Teifi	Coracle nets	419	656.38
Teifi	River total	419	656.38
Dyfi/Dovey	Seine nets	3	4.99
Mawddach	Seine nets	2	4.76
Conwy	Basket trap	0	0
Conwy	Seine nets	16	25.40
Conwy	River total	16	25.40
Wales	Total	610	1,023.30

England and Wales total sea trout net catches

Total number of sea trout nets catches for 2023:

• sea trout total number: 6,769
• sea trout total weight: 12,144.05kg

6. Eel, smelt, and lamprey catches

The Environment Agency issues commercial fishing authorisations for eel, elver, lamprey, and smelt fishing.

Eel and elver fishing

Authorisations for commercial yellow and silver eel fishing are restricted to those already authorised to fish. Elver fishing is restricted to certain locations with fishers only authorised to use handheld dip nets.

Adult eel fishing was authorised between 1 April and 10 December 2023. Elver fishers were authorised to fish between 15 February and 23 April 2023.

Smelt and lamprey fishing

Authorisations for smelt and lamprey fishing are restricted to those already authorised to fish.

Smelt fishing is generally authorised between 1 March and 30 April each year. Fishers must provide the Environment Agency with a completed catch return within 30 days of the expiry of their authorisation. The total weight of smelt taken is limited by fishing effort.

The fishing season for river lamprey is between 1 November and 10 December each year. The total weight of lamprey that can be taken is subject to a quota. Fishers must provide the Environment Agency with a completed catch return within 30 days of the expiry of their authorisation.

England adult eel fishery – method, number of instruments, value and catch, 2023 season

There were 33 authorised eel fishers in 2023.

Method	Number of instruments	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
Fyke net or small wingless traps	1,269	£2,540	24,325.9
Fixed traps	2	£230	27.5
Total	3,002	£2,770	24,353.4

England elver fishery – number of nets, value and catch, 2023 season

There were 158 authorised elver fishers in 2023.

Number of dip nets	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
170	£14,450	914

England lamprey fishery – number of pots, value and catch, 2023 season

There were 2 authorised lamprey fishers in 2023.

Method	Number of instruments	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
Pot traps	60	£160	7

England smelt fishery – number of instruments, value and catch, 2023 season

There were 6 authorised smelt fishers in 2023.

Number of pots or fyke nets	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
200	£160	580