Salmon and sea trout spawning season begins in Latvian rivers

The Nature Conservation Agency will step up monitoring of salmon rivers

The Nature Conservation Agency (the Agency) reminds that from 1 October a complete fishing ban comes into force on all of the country’s salmon rivers, and it is starting increased inspections to protect fish on their way to the spawning grounds and to prevent poaching. Illegal catching of salmonids during this period is subject to criminal liability as well as compensation of 715 euros for each protected fish caught and killed.

In Latvian rivers, salmonids are found mainly in the Gauja, Irbe, Salaca and Venta basins, whose sections often wind through specially protected nature areas. Every autumn, these fish begin one of nature’s most impressive cycles – after years spent feeding and growing at sea, they instinctively head back to the rivers where they were born.

Guided by the chemical composition and smell of the water, they travel tens of kilometres upstream to reach their goal. In the river, the fish no longer feed, and their only task is to find suitable pebbly and gravelly spawning grounds, where the females dig nests and lay their eggs.

Preserving every spawning fish is critical for the survival of the species. As the survival rate of young salmonids is low and on average only about 50 young salmon return to their home river, any loss during spawning has a big impact on the population. The situation is further complicated by other factors – river dams, warming water and pollution.

To monitor salmon and sea trout spawning grounds effectively, the Agency’s state environmental inspectors, in cooperation with the State Police, municipal police and the National Guard, will carry out increased inspection raids across the country both by day and by night. The inspections will make extensive use of modern technological solutions – video surveillance devices and drones with thermal cameras, which make it possible to detect violations at night and in hard-to-reach places.

According to the Regulations on Fishing, Crayfishing and Underwater Hunting, keeping salmon and sea trout caught in Latvian inland waters is prohibited all year round. The exception is certain licensed fishing sites from 1 January to 30 September. In the salmon rivers listed in the regulations, fishing is completely prohibited from 1 October until the end of the spawning season. Brown trout, which are also salmonids, may not be kept from 1 February to 30 April, brook trout from 1 September to 30 November, and whitefish and vendace from 1 October to 30 November. Fishing ban periods for individual rivers and parts of lakes are set out in Annex 3 of these regulations.