Yesterday (June 21st), the Norwegian Environment Agency established a new Regulation on the suspension of fishing for Atlantic salmon. The regulation applies to 33 rivers from the south and north to Namsen. Orkla is included in the regulations and all fishing will therefore be stopped from 23rd June.
We understand that this will have major consequences both for landowners and for our many salmon fishermen. It is critical when such a serious decision is announced with only one day's notice.
The Orkla administration does not support the decision from the Norwegian Environment Agency and will work to reopen fishing.
Wild salmon fishing is a large industry in Orkla and other rivers and we react to such a drastic regulation being issued with a day's notice. Fishing for anadromous salmonids with wedge nets, rods or handlines in the Trondheimsfjord will also not be opened.
Orkla administration introduced last Monday the protection of all salmon over 65 cm. This was done to secure the spawning stock. In the last week, we have also experienced a clear increase in catches, which the Norwegian Environment Agency is well aware of. We can also point to a clear improvement in the number of salmon that pass the camera at Bjørsetdammen (mid river).
In the last 6 days, over 100 salmon have passed the camera on the pond, which is a clear improvement from the previous weeks. 2/3 of these were large salmon. Even more gratifying is that 180 sea trout passed in the same period. It is a rarely high number. Nor did this information weigh heavily enough when the decisions were made. Orkla is one of the few rivers in the Trondheimsfjord that has achieved the spawning population target in the last 4 years. There is also a high rate of reintroduction in Orkla, which takes care of the spawning salmon. We therefore believe that the management of salmon fishing with us is both well-founded professionally and sustainable.
Orkla is the river in Trøndelag that has had the most farmed salmon this year (17 salmon are registered on the salmon exchange). Without fishing in the river, we risk losing some of the overview of the objection. Here we can inform you that divers from Scandinavian Nature Monitoring will carry out investigations/measures in Orkla already on Monday next week. We will also keep a close eye on the camera at Bjørsetdammen.
The feedback we get from the Norwegian Environment Agency is that a reopening of fishing in Orkla depends on better catches in the tagging project outer fjord and better numbers above Bjørsetdammen.
The board of Orkla administration meets frequently to discuss the situation and possible measures. We will also have contact with the Norwegian Environment Agency and other professional bodies.
The Norwegian Environment Agency has a new meeting on 5 July where a new assessment will be made.
With best regards
The board of Orkla administration.
Link to the Environment Agency (only in norwegian):
