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AST Christmas Drinks & Lost at Sea Film

On the 12th December the AST hosted its Christmas Drinks party and London Premier of the documentary film, Atlantic Salmon Lost at Sea at the Curzon Cinema, Mayfair, London.

The event brought to a close the AST’s 50th Anniversary Year. It was an opportunity for the Trust staff to present an overview of its science strategy and projects, in particular focusing on plans for a major acoustic telemetry tracking project in the Moray Firth in 2019.

AST CEO Sarah Bayley Slater highlighted the urgency with which action needed to be taken “In just over two decades the numbers of smolts that leave UK rivers and return as adults has fallen from over 20% to less than 5%. Across the Atlantic, salmon numbers have plummeted from 8 – 10 million to 3 – 4 million in the last forty years. That means their numbers have halved during the lifetime of many anglers.”

Prof. Ken Whelan the ASTs Research Director said an overriding theme in the AST science strategy was “the need to improve the survival of smolts and adults throughout their migratory journey, from the moment they silver up as smolts to the time they spawn as adults”.

“It is for this reason that the principal focus of the strategy is on learning more about migration routes and about the threats the fish face at each stage of their migration and, where possible, on how these can be mitigated or eliminated.”

The Lost at Sea film highlights the hard work underway by dedicated researchers and environmentalists around the world to better understand the challenges salmon face. Before the film, our very own Dr. Matt Newton revealed plans for a major tracking project in the Moray Firth. This will be a key focus for the Atlantic Salmon Trust over the coming year, with big news about a major awareness and fundraising campaign to come early in 2018.

Special thanks to event sponsors: RS Aqua and The Fishmongers’ Company

 

Lost At Sea

The film, Atlantic Salmon – Lost at Sea! takes the viewer on an epic journey through the mysterious world of the King of Fish. This is a quest to solve the mystery of the salmon’s life at sea and answer the question: why are salmon dying in greater numbers than ever before in their ocean environment and not returning to their native rivers?

The film was recently completed with the generous support of sponsors – organisations such as the Atlantic Salmon Trust and the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and individuals who supported the film via its kickstarter campaign. The Lost at Sea crew filmed for 80 days in 6 different countries. The filming began in 2009 on board the research vessel the Celtic Explorer, which was being used by scientists in the SALSEA program.

To find out about viewings of the film or to contact producer Deirdre Brennan please go to : https://www.facebook.com/atlanicsalmonlostatsea/

 

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