14 days. That is, two weeks after the season opened, we are still waiting for the capture of the ‘campanu’the first salmon to be traced by any of the five Asturian salmon farms. Whatever appears when it appears, it will be the latest campaign in history.
No one is surprised that the Ministry have requested an expert report to decide whether to classify the species as “endangered.”
What has happened? On Saturday, April 18, 2026, two weeks later than the traditional date, the season opened. The counseling deliberately delayed the start to “accumulate more salmon entries” (in the same way that reduced the number of specimens that can be caught to 154): after all, last year only 472 specimens were detected in the entire Principality.
And the problem is not only Asturian. In Cantabria (where 38 salmon can be caught) none have been caught either. Although it must be pointed out that in the Cantabrian rivers the ban opened this May 1st. And in Galicia a total ban was declared for 2026 (although some exceptions have been made).
Why is all this happening? The causes are well known: we are talking about things like river fragmentation, pollution (agricultural, industrial and urban), the effects of aquacultureuncontrolled repopulation, invasive species and, of course, climate change.
So, are we going towards a total ban? The truth is that no one can know. Especially because we have a very close precedent: Spain has repeatedly refused to ban eel fishing despite the fact that all scientific reports say that it must be done.
In favor of the salmon it plays that, thanks to the farms, the money that the wild moves is rather symbolic. But the paths of agricultural regulation in an election year are inscrutable.
What is clear is that these are not good times for wild salmon. Not in Spain, not anywhere. In Norway, for example, only 323,000 wild salmon were observed in 2024. The previous year, the figures They amounted to 481,463 copies. In Scotland, another of the great salmon-growing countries, the population of wild specimens has fallen by 80% since the 70s; and, in the Faroes, the total ban is on the table.
As we said recently, there have never been more salmon in the world. And, for that reason, this species has never been closer to disappearing in the wild.
Image | Brandon
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