Wye salmon by-law on landing fish welcomed

The by-law means anglers must return catches of salmon and sea trout or face a substantial fine. Environment Agency Wales said the rule would help more fish to survive and boost the declining population, BBC News reports.

Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, of the Wye and Usk Foundation, said salmon numbers had been recovering for 10 years.The by-law approved this week by the Welsh government and Defra could be in place for up to 10 years.

If we had done this 10 years ago, we might be looking at removing the restriction now,” Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, director Wye and Usk Foundation

Environment Agency Wales' Pete Gough said: "The majority of anglers are very responsible and do release the salmon and sea trout they catch.

"However, there are some that continue to kill the fish before they have a chance to spawn upstream."