salmon survey results

This years Salmon season was drawn to a close early due to the lockdown. I was lucky enough to catch my first Salmon from the Waimak just prior to the nationwide crisis. As most of our followers are based in Canterbury, I will focus on the North Canterbury region. Estimates of total Salmon catch was Rakaia 380, Waimakariri 559, Hurunui 233 and Waiau 89. This compares to Rakaia 729, Waimakariri 492, Hurunui 184 and Waiau 72 in the 2018/19 angling season. The rather worrying trend is the graph below which shows a consistent decrease in the Salmon catch from 2004-2020. There are several possible reasons for this, and its a whole other topic. The Rangitata river had a very low catch rate with about 120 Salmon harvested. 
1683 Salmon in total were harvested and 4100 anglers fished for Salmon. Most angler (70%) fished one river for Salmon and 8% fished three or more rivers. The Ashburton had only one known successful angler who caught two Salmon. 
Catch rates for Salmon are trending downwards which is a concern, however some rivers notably the Waimak have increased catch rates. If you've ever thought of giving Salmon fishing a go, I can tell you first hand its pretty fun when your onto fish and its a good change from other types of fishing. Why not give it a nudge?