Research and analysis

Salmonid and fisheries statistics for England and Wales 2018

Updated 9 April 2021

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 2018. It covers England, Wales and the Border Esk in Scotland.

See the full Salmonid and freshwater fisheries data tables.

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 2018. You should not accept it as a definitive record of the total numbers of fish landed.

1. Status of salmon and sea trout stocks

The 2018 assessment of salmon stocks in England and Wales shows that the status of salmon populations continues to be of concern. The assessment places each rivers’ 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’
• none were categorised as ‘not at risk’

In Wales:

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

State of 64 principal salmon rivers in England and Wales 2018

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.

Figure 1 – Salmon stock status in England 2018

Figure 2 – Salmon stock status in Wales 2018

Figure 3 – Percentage of principal salmon rivers in each risk category assessed against the management objective, for 2004 to 2018 and as predicted for 2023 for rivers in England

Note: Percentage of principal salmon rivers in each risk category assessed against the management objective.

Figure 4 – Percentage of principal salmon rivers in each risk category assessed against the management objective, for 2004 to 2018 and as predicted for 2023 for rivers in Wales

Note: Percentage of principal salmon rivers in each risk category assessed against the management objective.

2. Rod and net licence catch returns

The Environment Agency reminded 20,700 English and Welsh salmon and sea trout licence holders that they must submit their catch returns at the end of the season (by 1 January). This is a requirement even if no fish are caught.

For net catch returns, 100% of English and Welsh logbooks were accounted for in 2018.

The total returns received for the 2018 season was 20,736 (66% of the total licences issued).

The Environment Agency introduced a new online catch return service in 2018. The number and percentage of paper and online catch returns is shown in table 1.

Table 1 – Number and percentage of paper and online catch returns, 2017 and 2018

Year	Total returns	Paper returns	Paper (%)	Online returns	Online (%)
2017	20,772	7,182	35%	13,590	65%
2018	20,736	5,239	25%	15,497	75%

3. National overview and summary of main findings

Table 2 – Summary of declared salmon and sea trout rod catches in England and Wales for 2018 showing % change on 2017 and the 5-year mean (2013 to 2017)

Rods	2018	2017	5-year mean (2013-2017)	% change 2018 on 2017	% change 2018 on 5-year mean
Licences issued*	31,655	35,120	32,216	-10%	-2%
Days declared fished*	106,085	141,943	145,702	-25%	-27%
Salmon caught	7,787	13,571	12,225	-43%	-36%
Salmon released	6,857	11,256	9,504	-39%	-28%
(%) released	88%	83%	78%	5%	10%
Sea trout caught	13,608	22,135	26,949	-39%	-50%
Sea trout released	11,603	16,884	20,848	-31%	-44%
(% released)	85%	76%	77%	9%	8%

*Salmon and sea trout rod licences only.

Table 3 – Summary of declared salmon and sea trout net catches in England and Wales for 2018 showing % change on 2017 and the 5-year mean (2013 to 2017)

Net catch	2018	2017	5-year mean (2013 to 2017)	% change 2018 on 2017	% change 2018 on 5-year mean
Licences issued	231	269	279	-14%	-17%
Salmon caught	10,645	10,133	15,538	5%	-31%
Sea trout caught	24,082	36,778	47,135	-35%	-49%

Rods summary

These are the rod statistics for 2018.

The number of salmon and sea trout rod licences issued (31,655) decreased by 10% compared with 2017. This represents a 2% decrease when compared with the 5 year mean (32,216).

The total declared salmon caught by rod (7,787) decreased by 43% compared with 2017 (13,571). This represents a 36% decrease when compared with the 5 year mean (12,225).

The total declared sea trout caught by rod (13,608) decreased by 39% compared with 2017 (22,135). This represents a 50% decrease when compared with the 5 year mean (26,949).

Catch-and-release rates for rod caught salmon (88%) and sea trout (85%) showed an increase of 5% for salmon and an increase of 9% for sea trout on those recorded in 2017.

Anglers using a fly caught salmon 52% (4,163) and sea trout 57% (7,899). Spinning yielded 31% (2,503) of salmon and 30% (4,215) of sea trout. Bait captured 14% (1,090) of salmon and 10% (1,433) of sea trout. There was no method information for 92 catches.

The River Tyne had the highest declared rod catch of salmon (2,539). This accounted for 33% of the total for England and Wales. Next were the Border Esk (550), Wear (538) and Eden (491).

The River Tyne had the highest declared rod catch of sea trout (1,143). This accounted for 8% of the total for England and Wales. Next were the Tywi/Towy (760), Teifi (704) and Dyfi/Dovey (565).

For salmon on the Wye, Test and Itchen, we have used catch data from official catch returns. This is in preference to owner’s data which we have used in the past.

Nets summary

These are the nets statistics for 2018.

A total of 231 salmon and sea trout commercial net licences were issued. This compares with 269 in 2017 and a 5 year mean of 279. Since 1985 there has been a 77% reduction in the number of net licences issued annually in England and Wales (from 1,026 to 231).

The salmon net catch (10,645) increased by 5% compared with 2017 and decreased by 31% when compared with the 5 year mean (15,538). Whilst the South West fishery showed a decrease (246 to 232 fish), fisheries in the Midlands (42 to 102), North East (9,157 to 9,433), North West (424 to 561) and Wales (264 to 317) showed increases.

The average weight of net caught salmon was 3.6kg. This compares with an average weight of 4.38kg for rod caught salmon. In 2017 the average weight of net caught salmon was 3.97kg and that for rod caught salmon was 4.45kg.

Net fisheries exempted from the ‘spring’ byelaws (that is those targeting sea trout) released all salmon before 1 June.

A total of 24,082 sea trout were declared caught by the net fisheries, a decrease of 35% compared with the 2017 catch of 36,778 and a decrease of 49% compared with the 5-year mean of 47,135.

The average weight of net caught sea trout was 1.73kg. This compares with an average weight of 0.87kg for rod caught sea trout. In 2017 the average weight of net caught sea trout was 1.78kg and that for rod caught sea trout was 0.93kg.

Table 4 – Number of net and fixed engine licences issued (1985 to 2018) and total number of days fished by salmon and sea trout rod licence holders (1994 to 2018), England and Wales

Year	Net licences	Rod days
1985	1,026	-
1986	1,016	-
1987	983	-
1988	908	-
1989	923	-
1990	933	-
1991	789	-
1992	837	-
1993	760	-
1994	716	292,449
1995	677	243,288
1996	613	231,744
1997	593	269,705
1998	484	233,401
1999	498	187,998
2000	449	177,532
2001	444	134,853
2002	432	181,850
2003	417	172,729
2004	395	191,205
2005	385	186,877
2006	363	148,307
2007	357	164,679
2008	333	171,033
2009	317	183,287
2010	319	195,086
2011	308	196,902
2012	294	167,257
2013	304	164,449
2014	283	144,914
2015	272	141,811
2016	269	135,393
2017	269	141,943
2018	231	106,085

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

Table 5 – Total declared salmon rod catch for England and Wales, 1956 to 2018

Year	Total	Killed	Released
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	18,742	17,294	1,448
1994	24,891	21,664	3,227
1995	16,006	12,819	3,187
1996	17,444	14,016	3,428
1997	13,047	9,915	3,132
1998	17,109	11,738	5,371
1999	12,505	7,058	5,447
2000	17,596	10,126	7,470
2001	14,383	8,240	6,143
2002	15,282	7,624	7,658
2003	11,519	5,094	6,425
2004	27,336	14,125	13,211
2005	21,418	9,435	11,983
2006	19,509	8,550	10,959
2007	19,984	9,071	10,913
2008	23,512	10,477	13,035
2009	15,563	6,467	9,096
2010	24,826	10,135	14,691
2011	23,008	8,812	14,196
2012	18,450	6,498	11,952
2013	14,920	4,462	10,458
2014	10,307	2,315	7,992
2015	10,261	2,150	8,111
2016	12,068	2,367	9,701
2017	13,571	2,315	11,256
2018	7,787	930	6,857

Table 6 – Total declared sea trout rod catch for England and Wales, 1978 to 2018

Year	Total	Killed	Released
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	26,685	18,931	7,754
1994	45,759	29,184	16,575
1995	27,335	16,091	11,244
1996	29,685	16,825	12,860
1997	30,142	17,302	12,840
1998	48,312	23,978	24,334
1999	46,797	24,035	22,762
2000	41,322	20,628	20,694
2001	40,392	18,061	22,331
2002	49,796	24,626	25,170
2003	45,101	20,698	24,403
2004	36,100	16,611	19,489
2005	40,319	16,590	23,729
2006	24,269	9,940	14,329
2007	29,398	12,622	16,776
2008	27,707	11,488	16,219
2009	30,354	11,616	18,738
2010	37,543	11,533	26,010
2011	35,564	9,884	25,680
2012	30,700	8,859	21,841
2013	29,427	6,820	22,607
2014	29,560	6,105	23,455
2015	27,851	6,348	21,503
2016	25,779	5,988	19,791
2017	22,135	5,251	16,884
2018	13,608	2,005	11,603

Table 7 – Total declared salmon net and fixed engine catch for England and Wales, 1956 to 2018

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

Table 8 – Total declared sea trout net and fixed engine catch for England and Wales, 1978 to 2018

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

4. Area catch summaries – 2018, 2017 and 5-year mean

Table 9 – Summary of salmon rod catches by area

Environment Agency area	2018	2017	5-year mean (2013 to 2017)	% change (+/-) 2018 on 2017	% change (+/-) 2018 on 5-year mean
North East	3,356	4,977	6,469	-33%	-48%
Anglian	0	0	0	-	-
South East	140	283	271	-51%	-48%
South West	598	1,622	1,085	-63%	-45%
Midlands	185	330	332	-44%	-44%
North West	2,209	3,124	3,539	-29%	-38%
England	6,488	10,336	11,696	-37%	-45%
Wales	1,299	3,234	3,224	-60%	-60%
England and Wales	7,787	13,571	12,225	-43%	-36%

Table 10 – Summary of sea trout rod catches by area

Environment Agency area	2018	2017	5-year mean (2013 to 2017)	% change (+/-) 2018 on 2017	% change (+/-) 2018 on 5-year mean
North East	1,918	3,200	3,751	-40%	-49%
Anglian	0	1	13	-100%	-100%
South East	801	797	914	1%	-12%
South West	2,303	4,201	6,379	-45%	-64%
Midlands	16	3	22	433%	-27%
North West	3,210	4,000	5,994	-20%	-46%
England	8,248	12,202	17,073	-32%	-52%
Wales	5,360	9,929	12,354	-46%	-57%
England and Wales	13,608	22,135*	26,948	-39%	-50%

*4 fish from an unknown area added to England and Wales total in 2017.

Table 11 – Summary of salmon net and fixed engine catches by area

Environment Agency area	2018	2017	5-year mean (2013 to 2017)	% change (+/-) 2018 on 2017	% change (+/-) 2018 on 5-year mean
North East	9,433	9,157	14,257	3%	-34%
Anglian	0	0	2	-	-100%
South East	0	0	0	-	-
South West	232	246	313	-6%	-26%
Midlands	102	42	129	143%	-21%
North West	561	424	613	32%	-8%
England	10,328	9,869	15,314	5%	-33%
Wales	317	264	224	20%	42%
England and Wales	10,645	10,133	15,538	5%	-31%

Table 12 – Summary of sea trout net and fixed engine catches by area

Environment Agency area	2018	2017	5-year mean (2013 to 2017)	% change (+/-) 2018 on 2017	% change (+/-) 2018 on 5-year mean
North East	22,508	35,148	40,194	-36%	-44%
Anglian	219	278	428	-21%	-49%
South East	0	0	0	-	-
South West	147	170	299	-14%	-51%
Midlands	0	0	0	-	-
North West	433	362	618	20%	-30%
England	23,307	35,958	41,539	-35%	-44%
Wales	775	820	1,837	-5%	-58%
England and Wales	24,082	36,778	47,135	-35%	-49%

Figure 5 – Declared salmon and sea trout rod catches by area

Figure 6 – Declared salmon and sea trout net and fixed engine catches by area

5. River catch summaries

Table 13 – Salmon rod catches 2018

North East salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Aln	5	3	60%
Coquet	154	133	86%
Tyne	2,539	2,072	82%
Wear	538	439	82%
Tees	16	15	94%
Esk (Yorks)	42	37	88%
Ouse (Yorks)	62	60	97%
Other	0	0	0
Total	3,356	2,759	81%

South East salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Itchen	62	62	100%
Test	78	78	100%
Other	0	0	0
Total	140	140	100%

South West salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Avon (Hants)	73	73	100%
Frome	37	37	100%
Axe	1	1	100%
Exe	70	61	87%
Teign	29	25	86%
Dart	6	6	100%
Avon (Devon)	4	4	100%
Erme	8	7	88%
Yealm	3	3	100%
Plym	5	5	100%
Tavy	16	12	75%
Lynher	25	24	96%
Tamar	84	78	93%
Fowey	82	82	100%
Camel	73	73	100%
Torridge	26	24	92%
Taw	47	45	96%
Lyn	8	8	100%
Other	1	1	100%
Total	598	569	95%

Midlands salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Severn	183	148	81%
Other	2	1	50%
Total	185	149	81%

North West salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Ribble	370	360	97%
Wyre	4	4	100%
Lune	212	183	86%
Kent	123	101	82%
Crake	17	17	100%
Leven	33	32	97%
Duddon	64	58	91%
Irt	26	22	85%
Esk (Cumbrian)	59	55	93%
Calder	0	0	-
Ehen	122	104	85%
Derwent	138	128	93%
Ellen	0	0	-
Eden	491	491	100%
Esk (Border)	550	548	100%
Other	0	0	-
Total	2,209	2,103	95%

England total

Total salmon rod catches for 2018:

• salmon caught – 6,488
• salmon released – 5,720
• percentage released – 88%

Wales salmon rod catches

River	Salmon caught	Salmon released	Percentage released
Wye	299	299	100%
Usk	129	125	97%
Taff	2	1	50%
Ogmore	4	4	100%
Afan	3	2	67%
Neath	4	3	75%
Tawe	17	12	71%
Loughor	12	7	58%
Gwendraeth Fach	0	0	-
Tywi/Towy	183	127	69%
Taf	28	23	82%
Cleddau (E&W)	16	10	63%
Nevern	11	11	100%
Teifi	101	86	85%
Ystwyth	2	2	100%
Rheidol	4	4	100%
Dyfi-Dovey	53	37	70%
Dysynni	3	3	100%
Mawddach	29	23	79%
Artro	0	0	-
Dwyryd	3	3	100%
Glaslyn	10	5	50%
Dwyfawr	2	2	100%
Gwyrfai	0	0	-
Seiont	1	1	100%
Ogwen	27	17	63%
Conwy	92	84	91%
Clwyd	5	4	80%
Dee	248	234	94%
Other	11	8	73%

Wales total

Total salmon rod catches for 2018:

• salmon caught – 1,299
• salmon released – 1,137
• percentage released – 88%

England and Wales total

Total salmon rod catches for 2018:

• salmon caught – 7,787
• salmon released – 6,857
• percentage released – 88%

Table 14 – Sea trout rod catches 2018

North East sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Aln	9	6	67%
Coquet	96	85	89%
Tyne	1,143	819	72%
Wear	415	329	79%
Tees	7	5	71%
Esk (Yorks)	227	196	86%
Ouse (Yorks)*	15	14	93%
Other	6	5	83%
Total	1,918	1,459	76%

Anglian sea trout rod catches

Total number of:

• sea trout caught – 0
• sea trout released – 0

South East sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Thames	1	1	100%
Rother (Petworth)	0	0	-
Ouse (Sussex)	50	50	100%
Itchen	413	373	90%
Test	203	149	73%
Beaulieu	10	8	80%
Lymington	30	26	87%
Other	94	55	59%
Total	801	662	83%

South West sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Avon (Hants)	470	454	97%
Stour	3	3	100%
Piddle	1	1	100%
Frome	116	100	86%
Brit	5	2	40%
Axe	70	60	86%
Otter	55	52	95%
Exe	13	12	92%
Teign	352	273	78%
Dart	132	94	71%
Avon (Devon)	28	26	93%
Erme	22	19	86%
Yealm	4	2	50%
Plym	34	26	76%
Tavy	185	145	78%
Lynher	38	37	97%
Tamar	205	180	88%
Looe	4	3	75%
Fowey	292	258	88%
Camel	145	114	79%
Torridge	75	66	88%
Taw	43	35	81%
Lyn	4	4	100%
Other	7	7	100%
Total	2,303	1,973	86%

Midlands sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Severn	3	3	100%
Other	13	13	100%
Total	16	16	100%

North west sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Ribble	487	456	94%
Wyre	38	35	92%
Lune	490	434	89%
Kent	294	229	78%
Crake	14	14	100%
Leven	41	34	83%
Duddon	100	86	86%
Irt	119	114	96%
Esk (Cumbrian)	61	53	87%
Calder	0	0	0
Ehen	247	241	98%
Derwent	188	148	79%
Ellen	8	8	100%
Eden	164	154	94%
Esk (Border)	944	898	95%
Other	15	12	80%
Total	3,210	2,916	91%

England total

Total sea trout rod catches for 2018:

• sea trout caught – 8,248
• sea trout released – 7,026
• percentage released – 85%

Wales sea trout rod catches

River	Sea trout caught	Sea trout released	Percentage released
Wye	27	24	89%
Usk	9	9	100%
Rhymney	0	0	-
Taff	37	35	95%
Ogmore	126	118	94%
Afan	130	112	86%
Neath	23	22	96%
Tawe	50	47	94%
Loughor	54	22	41%
Gwendraeth Fach	15	15	100%
Tywi/Towy	760	641	84%
Taf	26	20	77%
Cleddau (E&W)	70	57	81%
Nevern	181	124	69%
Teifi	704	605	86%
Aeron	37	24	65%
Ystwyth	35	28	80%
Rheidol	152	145	95%
Dyfi/Dovey	565	502	89%
Dysynni	268	249	93%
Mawddach	244	224	92%
Artro	15	7	47%
Dwyryd	13	12	92%
Glaslyn	412	341	83%
Dwyfawr	109	80	73%
Dwyfach	10	10	100%
Llyfni	23	12	52%
Gwyrfai	0	0	-
Seiont	47	37	79%
Cefni	0	0	-
Ogwen	191	143	75%
Conwy	402	383	95%
Clwyd	324	291	90%
Dee	225	205	91%
Other	76	33	43%

Wales total

Total sea trout rod catches for 2018:

• sea trout caught – 5,360
• sea trout released – 4,577
• percentage released – 85%

England and Wales total

Total sea trout rod catches for 2018:

• sea trout caught – 13,608
• sea trout released – 11,603
• percentage released – 85%

Table 15 – Salmon net catches 2018

North East salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Northumbria and Yorkshire	Drift nets	3,680	13,948
Northumbria	T nets	5,403	18,400
Yorkshire	T or J nets	350	1,273
Whole area	Total	9,433	33,620

Anglian salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Coastal	Drift nets	0	0
Coastal	Other nets (var.)	0	0
Whole area	Total	0	0

Southern salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Solent area	Seine nets	0	0
Whole area	Total	0	0

South West salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Avon and Stour	Seine nets	0	0
Poole Harbour	Seine nets	3	17
Exe	Seine nets	68	176
Teign	Seine nets	57	195
Dart	Seine nets	0	0
Camel	Drift nets	0	0
Tavy	Seine nets	5	12
Tamar	Seine nets	64	204
Lynher	Seine nets	0	0
Fowey	Seine nets	0	0
Taw/Torridge	Seine nets	35	127
Whole area	Total	232	731

Midlands salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Severn	Seine/Draft nets	10	34
Severn	Lave nets	20	86
Severn	Putcher Rank	72	309
Whole area	Total	102	430

North West salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Ribble	Drift nets	29	153
Lune	Haaf nets	66	269
Lune	Drift nets	184	742
Lune	River total	250	1,011
Kent	Lave nets	0	0
Leven	Lave nets	2	11
Eden & Esk (Solway)	Haaf nets	280	1,105
Eden	Coop traps	0	0
Whole area	Total	561	2,280

England total

Total salmon net catches for 2018:

• salmon total number – 10,328
• salmon total weight – 37,060kg

Wales salmon net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Wye	Lave nets	4	20
Tywi/Towy	Seine nets	41	141
Tywi/Towy	Coracle nets	59	250
Tywi/Towy	River total	100	391
Taf	Wade net	0	0
Taf	Coracle nets	0	0
Taf	River total	0	0
Cleddau (E&W)	Compass nets	0	0
Nevern	Seine nets	0	0
Teifi	Seine nets	19	60
Teifi	Coracle nets	175	736
Teifi	River total	194	796
Dyfi	Seine nets	0	0
Dysynni	Seine nets	0	0
Mawddach	Seine nets	0	0
Glaslyn	Seine nets	0	0
Conwy	Basket trap	0	0
Conwy	Seine nets	19	59
Conwy	River total	19	59
Dee	Trammel nets	0	0
Dee	Draft nets	0	0
Dee	River total	0	0

Wales total

Total salmon net catches for 2018:

• salmon total number – 317
• salmon total weight – 1,266kg

England and Wales total

Total salmon net catches for 2018:

• salmon total number – 10,645
• salmon total weight – 38,327kg

Table 16 – Sea trout net catches 2018

North East sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Northumbria and Yorkshire	Drift nets	2,070	4,251
Northumbria	T nets	11,447	18,820
Yorkshire	T or J nets	8,991	15,953
Whole area	Total	22,508	39,023

Anglian sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Coastal	Drift nets	201	283
Coastal	Other nets (var.)	18	30
Whole area	Total	219	313

Southern sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Solent area	Seine nets	0	0
Whole area	Total	0	0

South West sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Avon and Stour	Seine nets	0	0
Poole Harbour	Seine nets	4	8
Exe	Seine nets	3	2
Teign	Seine nets	112	173
Dart	Seine nets	0	0
Camel	Drift nets	0	0
Tavy	Seine nets	0	0
Tamar	Seine nets	5	7
Lynher	Seine nets	0	0
Fowey	Seine nets	0	0
Taw/Torridge	Seine nets	23	13
Whole area	Total	147	203

Midlands sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Severn	Draft nets	0	0
Severn	Lave nets	0	0
Severn	Putcher Rank	0	0
Whole area	Total	0	0

North West sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Ribble	Drift nets	2	7
Lune	Haaf nets	119	182
Lune	Drift nets	60	141
Lune	River total	179	329
Kent	Lave nets	0	0
Leven	Lave nets	1	2
Solway	Haaf nets	251	302
Eden	Coop traps	0	0
Whole area	Total	433	633

England total

Total sea trout nets catches for 2018:

• sea trout total number – 23,307
• sea trout total weight – 40,173kg

Wales sea trout net catches

River/fishery	Fishing method	Total number	Total weight (kg)
Tywi/Towy	Seine nets	120	220
Tywi/Towy	Coracle nets	114	301
Tywi/Towy	River total	234	521
Taf	Wade net	0	0
Taf	Coracle nets	0	0
Taf	River total	0	0
Cleddau (E&W)	Compass nets	0	0
Nevern	Seine nets	0	0
Teifi	Seine nets	64	90
Teifi	Coracle nets	450	801
Teifi	River total	514	891
Dyfi	Seine nets	10	18
Dysynni	Seine nets	0	0
Mawddach	Seine nets	2	6
Conwy	Basket trap	0	0
Conwy	Seine nets	15	20
Conwy	River total	15	20
Clwyd	Sling nets	0	0
Dee	Trammel nets	0	0
Dee	Draft nets	0	0
Dee	River total	0	0

Wales total

Total sea trout nets catches for 2018:

• sea trout total number – 775
• sea trout total weight – 1,456kg

England and Wales total

Total sea trout nets catches for 2018:

• sea trout total number – 24,082
• sea trout total weight – 41,629kg

6. Eel, smelt, and lamprey catches

The Environment Agency, together with Natural Resources Wales, issue 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 licensed to fish. Elver fishing is restricted to certain locations with fishers only authorised to use hand held ‘dip nets’.

Adult eel fishing was authorised between 1 April and 10 December 2018. Elver fishers were authorised to fish between 15 February and 25 May 2018.

Smelt and lamprey fishing

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

Smelt fishing is generally authorised between 20 February and 25 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 subject to a quota.

The fishing season for river lamprey is 1 November to 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. No lamprey were retained in 2018.

Table 17 – Eel, elver, lamprey and smelt authorisations – number and value, 2018 season

Adult eel fishery

Method	Number of authorisations	Number of instruments	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
Small wingless traps	10	286	490	2,632
Fyke nets	51	1,854	3,560	34,921
Fixed traps	5	5	575	59
Total	-	2,145	4,625	37,612

Elver fishery

Number of authorisations – 417

Method	Number of instruments	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
Dip net	417	35,445	4,261
Total	417	35,445	4,261

Lamprey fishery

Number of authorisations – 1

Method	Number of instruments	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
Pot traps	40	80	2,032
Total	40	80	2,032

Smelt fishery

Number of authorisations – 5

Method	Number of instruments	Value (£)	Caught (kg)
Pot traps/Fyke nets	200	160	4,527
Total	200	160	4,527