“It’s a hell of a sacrifice”: Côtes-d’Armor fishermen give up salmon… under conditions

“The future of salmon is not assured”

The Côtes-d'Armor Fishing Federation, which consulted the five approved fishing and aquatic environment protection associations (AAPPMA) concerned

is in favor of this closure in the face of the collapse of the species. “We are worried about the declining salmon populations,” comments Olivier Samica, president of the AAPPMA of Pontrieux. For three years, according to indicators, we have seen that there is a drop in the number of salmon in the Trieux and this drop is quite strong this year. » “The situation has deteriorated throughout Brittany and Côtes-d'Armor with conservation limits which have not been reached,” explains Frédérick Bousquié, the director of the federation. The future of the species is not assured. The authorized catch rates for Atlantic salmon (Tac) were not reached this year in our Costa Rican rivers. » For example, for Léguer, the quota of harvests authorized in 2024 was 50 salmon; only ten fish were ultimately caught.

The position of the AAPPMA du Léguer is clear: “As long as the indices of abundance of juvenile salmon are not reported, we do not see the point in fishing for the species,” declares Philippe Richard, the president, who tempers: “Recreational fishing is a drop in the ocean in the problem of Atlantic salmon”, the decline of which is observed in Canada as in Norway and is taking place at sea.

“The only way we can act quickly is to close fishing, but at the same time it is to make people believe that recreational freshwater fishing has a big impact on salmon populations; all scientists will tell you that this is not the case,” declares Olivier Samica, president of the AAPPMA of Pontrieux. (Photo from Trieux/Le Télégramme)

“It’s a hell of a sacrifice for the fishermen”

Will this ban be enough to save salmon? “The ban on fishing is not a protective measure,” proclaims the president of the AAPPMA of Pontrieux, who conditions his agreement on other measures. “The ban can only apply to freshwater fishermen,” argues the director of the federation. Especially since they are not the ones responsible for the fall in salmon stocks. We need a much more ambitious policy that also affects recreational fishermen at sea and professional fishermen at sea.” In a press release, the Côtes-d'Armor Fishing Federation details all the guarantees and measures expected with the suspension.

“We are an association of fishermen. Prohibiting fishing is not in our DNA, even if here we show that fishermen are capable of mobilizing and getting involved,” comments Philippe Richard for Léguer. “It’s a hell of a sacrifice for the fishermen,” says Olivier Samica for the Pontrieux sector. Some people only live for that. Salmon fishing in Brittany is a cultural heritage. »