Scotland's Wild Atlantic Salmon is An Icon in Peril

That the Parliament believes that the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is one of Scotland's most iconic and culturally significant species; recognises that it is renowned for its extraordinary migration from Scottish upland rivers to the waters of Norway and Greenland and back again; notes with deep concern that wild Atlantic salmon are now classified as endangered in Great Britain by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with a reported population decline of between 30 and 50% since 2006; acknowledges the cumulative pressures facing the species identified in the Scottish Government's Scottish wild salmon strategy, including habitat loss, barriers to river migration, declining water quality, rising temperatures driven by climate change as well as the impacts on wild salmonid populations of sea lice and escapes from salmon farming; recognises what it sees as the vital ecological role of Atlantic salmon as a keystone species, which supports other wildlife, including otters and the freshwater pearl mussel; further recognises the importance of the species to Scotland's rural economy through angling tourism, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure the full and timely delivery of the Scottish wild salmon strategy and its implementation Plan 2023–2028, affirming that bold and urgent action is needed now if this species is to be secured for future generations.