NASCO Falls Short of Delivering the Urgent and Transformative Action Needed to Conserve Wild Atlantic Salmon

The crisis facing wild Atlantic salmon continues to deepen. The latest scientific assessments from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) are unequivocal: wild Atlantic salmon populations are declining across much of the North Atlantic. The number of adults returning to rivers remains alarmingly low compared to historical levels, and in some areas of its range, wild Atlantic salmon are now officially listed as endangered.

It was against this backdrop that the Parties to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) met in Aviemore, Scotland, from 2–5 June 2026.

A central focus of NASCO's efforts to reverse salmon declines is the development of Conservation Commitment Reports (CCRs), through which member governments identify and commit to actions addressing the most significant pressures facing salmon in their rivers and coastal waters.

NASCO-accredited salmon conservation organizations (NGOs) welcome the publication of the draft CCRs. However, we view these plans as the minimum actions governments and their partners should be undertaking at a time when NASCO has called for "urgent and transformative" action.

Too many proposed measures still represent incremental progress or business-as-usual approaches rather than the scale of response demanded by the crisis facing wild Atlantic salmon. As governments finalize their CCRs by November 2026, they must significantly increase their ambition, commit to transformative action, and deliver meaningful outcomes that build resilience in salmon populations facing the accelerating impacts of climate change.

In regions and rivers where salmon populations are approaching extinction, immediate rescue and recovery efforts are needed to conserve local genetic diversity and sustain populations until river and marine conditions improve sufficiently to support long-term recovery.

 

Aquaculture Remains a Major Gap

Significant gaps remain in the actions proposed by governments, particularly regarding the impacts of salmon aquaculture on wild populations.

Sea lice infestations and escapes from open-net pen aquaculture operations remain among the most significant human-caused pressures affecting wild Atlantic salmon across the North Atlantic. Pollution from sea-cage farms places additional stress on coastal ecosystems, while escaped farmed salmon contribute to declining population fitness and the erosion of genetic integrity in wild stocks.

NGOs welcome NASCO's decision to establish a working group to review its existing aquaculture guidelines. However, this work must proceed with urgency. The group must produce

clear, science-based recommendations that lead to meaningful action, and Parties must commit to implementing and adhering to those recommendations, something that has too often failed to occur in the past.

 

International Action Needed on Marine Mortality

NGOs remain deeply concerned about mortality occurring at sea, including fisheries bycatch.

While the CCR process focuses primarily on actions within national jurisdictions, many of the most significant pressures on salmon occur beyond national boundaries and require coordinated international responses. We therefore call on NASCO to convene a ministerial-level meeting dedicated to marine survival, ensuring stronger coordination between fisheries managers, governments, and the scientific community.

In this context, NGOs also emphasized the need to ensure that commitments made under the UN High Seas Treaty and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework are implemented in ways that directly support the recovery of wild Atlantic salmon.

 

Failure to Reach Agreement on West Greenland Fishery

NGOs are disappointed that the West Greenland Commission was unable to reach agreement on a new regulatory measure for the West Greenland salmon fishery, including the establishment of a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) that would help conserve vulnerable salmon stocks.

The absence of an agreement creates unnecessary uncertainty regarding management of the 2026 fishery and potentially future fisheries. Discussions and negotiations began months ago, and the positions of the Parties were well understood. Given the precarious conservation status of Atlantic salmon across the North Atlantic, opportunities were missed to agree on measures that could have reduced harvest levels and strengthened conservation outcomes for 2026.

 

Robert Otto, Co-Chair of the NASCO Accredited NGOs, said:

"NGOs stand ready to support the range of work required through partnerships, expertise, and on-the-ground delivery. We continue to conceive, design, deliver, and fund critical science and conservation initiatives. With stronger government support, we could achieve much more.

We will continue to hold Parties accountable for progress. Despite the seriousness of the situation, recovery remains possible. The science is clear. The solutions are known. What is needed now is commitment and meaningful action. Tomorrow may be too late."

For further information, please contact:

Robert Otto Co-Chair, NASCO Accredited NGOs Email: rotto@asf.ca

 

About NASCO

The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) is an international organization established under the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean (1984). NASCO works to conserve, restore, enhance, and promote the rational management of wild Atlantic salmon throughout the North Atlantic.

 

About the West Greenland Fishery

The West Greenland fishery is a mixed-stock fishery that catches Atlantic salmon from rivers across North America and Europe. Because salmon from many river systems mix in Greenland waters, how this fishery is managed has major implications for the conservation and recovery of salmon populations across the North Atlantic.

Further information about NASCO and its accredited NGOs is available at www.nasco.int.

 

Signed on behalf of the NASCO Accredited NGOs,

Robert Otto, Atlantic Salmon Federation Co-Chair, NASCO Accredited NGOs

Wendy Kenyon, Atlantic Salmon Trust Co-Chair, NASCO Accredited NGOs

Alan Wells, Fisheries Management Scotland Acting Co-Chair for the 43rd NASCO Annual General Meeting