Salmon season 2009: Second best ever!
A big one about to be released on the record breaking Midfjardara.
The Icelandic Bureau of Fresh Water Fisheries has issued a preliminary report on the salmon season of 2009. It turned out to be the second best ever salmon season ever recorded in Iceland, second only to last year. So need we say more on the general upswing in salmon fishing in Iceland?
The final total looks like being 72.200 rod caught salmon which is 14% less than last year. Despite that, it is still double the average catch over the years 1974-2008! And this is not entirely due to smolt releasing projects cranking up the scores, in fact the „smolt rivers“, while giving an excelent account of themselves were actually far from their prime of 2008. To compare the two last seasons, have a look at this:
Last year: 84.124 salmon, 54.856 from self sustaining rivers and 29.268 from smolt project rivers.
This year: 72.200 salmon, 53.700 from self sustaining rivers and 18.500 from smolt project rivers.
Northeast river Svalbardsa had a great new record.
Generally speaking, every part of the country bar the north had lower catch totals, yet the self sustaining rivers are a mera ca one thousand salmon off overall from last year while the smolt project rivers slight dip makes up most of the margin.
The Bureau reminds us that certain factors may cloud the statistics somewhat. Factors such as catch and release. While we do not have the C&R statistics for Iceland as of yet, it has been on the up in recent years and it is common knowledge that a cartain percentage of caught and released salmon take up the habit of getting caught again. And in some instances even more often.
There were several record catches as we have been telling you on the web all the time....among them: Midfjardara, Hrutafjardara, Blanda, Svalbardsa, Sogid and Vatnsdalsa, which are all among our listed rivers. Also, Húseyjarkvísl, Laxá á Refasveit, Blanda, Fljótaá and Kálfá had new records this season.
