The organization Ecoloxistes n'Aición d'Asturies has launched a signature collection under the slogan "¡Free Campanu!" with which it aims to pressure administrations to adopt "urgent and forceful" measures to stop the "serious decline" of Atlantic salmon in Asturian rivers.
In a statement, the environmental group warns that the species is going through a "critical situation". Based on its data, the controlled salmon population has plummeted by more than 80 percent in the last decade, with an "ever-decreasing" presence of specimens in the community's riverbeds.
Given this reality, they demand the establishment of a total ban on Atlantic salmon fishing and the implementation of truly effective plans for the protection and recovery of river ecosystems.
The group also points out that the salmon crisis is not only due to fishing pressure, but to the combination of other factors such as "massive restocking without scientific control, the proliferation of invasive species, and the effects of climate change" on aquatic habitats.
For this reason, the organization considers it "essential" that Atlantic salmon be officially included in the catalog of endangered species, which would allow activating additional legal tools for protection and conservation.
"Signing this campaign is defending the natural heritage of Asturias," emphasize the collective, which calls on citizens to support the initiative, available on the environmental group's website, to increase social and institutional pressure in defense of Asturian rivers.