The Atlantic salmon
salmo salar is the king of fishes. It has an extraordinary
lifecycle in
that it is anadromous (it breeds
in rivers, grows
up there, but
migrates
to sea and
then grows
at sea, but then comes
back to the river to start again.)
Salmon fishing has a long history.
Since Pictish times salmon have been recognised
as a valuable resource. The fish is extraordinarily
rich in Omega3
fatty acids and has always been keenly sought
after.
But today, it is the sporting and conservation
efforts which predominate. The two objectives
may seem contradictory, but they are not.
Anglers
are now well educated and wish to promote their
sport, they follow the conservation
code and return most spring
fish. Furthermore many beats insist on a catch
and release policy
in addition to other statutory conservation measures
such as the prawn ban across the
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