The Times reports Atlantic salmon, a species that once packed British and European rivers, is down to its last few million fish and faces extinction in many UK waters, according to scientists.

Just 5% of the salmon hatched in UK rivers return to breed, compared with 25% two decades ago, they found. It means fish numbers have hit their lowest ever, with 50,000 salmon caught in the UK last year – the worst result on record and a fraction of the 600,000-800,000 caught annually until the 1960s. 

Atlantic Salmon photo by Derek Mercer under creative commons.