Atlantic Salmon at Risk: Apparent Rapid Declines in Effective Population Size in Southern European Populations

Abstract Populations of southern European Atlantic salmon Salmo salar are subjected to exploitation by sportfishing and exhibit evidence of dramatic catch reduction for the same fishing effort over recent history. We employed nine microsatellite loci as markers to estimate effective population sizes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
Main Authors: Horreo, J. L., Machado‐Schiaffino, G., Griffiths, A. M., Bright, D., Stevens, J. R., Garcia‐Vazquez, E.
Other Authors: Fundación para el Fomento en Asturias de la Investigación Científica Aplicada y la Tecnología
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011
Subjects:
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2011.585574
https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00028487.2011.585574
Description
Summary:Abstract Populations of southern European Atlantic salmon Salmo salar are subjected to exploitation by sportfishing and exhibit evidence of dramatic catch reduction for the same fishing effort over recent history. We employed nine microsatellite loci as markers to estimate effective population sizes of Atlantic salmon in five rivers of northern Spain for comparison with 1990s data describing the same populations; marked declines in effective population sizes over the last decade were detected, and a reduced census size is proposed to be one of the probable causes. These estimates highlight the endangered status of the Atlantic salmon populations in northern Spain. A reduction in fishing effort and an increase in protective measures are recommended for the conservation of these fragile populations at the southernmost edge of the species’ natural distribution.

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