Norway: Wild salmon numbers crash

The politics of profit before conservation.

The facts are indisputable. Norwegian salmon runs are shrinking dramatically. The Norwegian Environment Agency says this year’s run is a lot less than half of what it should be – and that 2023 was 30% down on 2022. This is a long-term trend going back years.

The Oslo government’s response is to ban rod fishing on 33 rivers. And it seems likely this ban w…