News from the North Atlantic Salmon Fund

LACK OF RAIN HAS GIVEN ICELAND A POOR START TO THE SEASON

Iceland has suffered its worst drought in recent history and salmon have
been reluctant to enter the rivers. As elsewhere throughout the North
Atlantic the Icelandic salmon runs have been been late and grilse have only
started to appear recently.
In the last three seasons Iceland has enjoyed greater salmon catches than in
any previous period so we are all anticipating a dramatic change in the
situation. There should be a wall of fish waiting offshore and we are
confident of seeing good runs the moment rain puts fresh water in the
rivers.

MAYOR OF TORSHAVN, FAROE ISLANDS FISHES BIG LAXÁ

(Photo by Ingolfur Bragason)

NASF invited the Mayor of Torshavn, Heðin Mortensen, and his wife Hjördís from the Faroe Islands to fish the Big Laxá (Laxá in Adaldalur) last weekend. It seems the Faroese have special genes for catching fish and Hedin is true to his historic roots. He ignored the adverse conditions and landed two large multi-sea-winter fish. One was caught at Bjargstrengur on a Red Frances and the other at Hrúthólmi on a Blue Charm fly. Both fish were safely returned to the river, an action that should remind us that the
Faroese nation was the first to recognise and adopt the NASF Conservation
Principles in respect of wild Atlantic salmon.

PRESIDENT PUTIN SALUTES NASF

The NASF Chairman was today invited to the Russian embassy in Reykjavik to
meet the Russian Ambassador, Mr. Victor Tatarintsev. During a lavish
six-course lunch the Ambassador delivered a message to NASF and its
worldside supporters from Vladimír Putin, President of the Russian
Federation.
President Putin congratulated the NASF teams on their work to protect the
salmon stocks and the recent prestigious Goldman Award for grassroot
environmentalism. He committed the Russian Federation to support the NASF
Campaign to protect wild salmon stocks and promised that the Kremlin
authorities and its fisheries regulators will work with NASF to enhance wild
Atlantic salmon stocks and improve the marine and freshwater environment.
Russian salmon returning to the Kola Peninsular are currently subject to
interceptory mixed-stock netting along the Norwegian coast, principally in
the Finmark area. NASF is committed to resolving this problem. Commercial
nretsmen fishing under quota in the Barents Sea and White Sea area are
thought to take no less than 300 metric tonnes of salmon at present. NASF is
setting up a team of international advisers to identify new employment
opportunities for the netsmen in this area.

Ambassador Tatarintsev, an ardent pike fisherman, has accepted a NASF
invitation to flyfish for Atlantic salmon in Iceland.

Find out all about the work of the NASF and how to donate by visiting their website.

"Please support NASF. With your help we can give the wild Atlantic salmon a safe future."

Orri Vigfússon

NASF International Chairman