This was just posted on a national salmon fishing forum.

The author is a long standing Wye experienced angler.  I can only say that his summing up here is spot on with many peoples thinking, certainly mine.
If you have not seen it its worth a read.  then ask yourself is therer a light at the end of the tunnel?

"Anybody who thinks that the NRW intend to spend all the savings made by closing down the hatcheries on further mitigation habitat work (over and above that already committed to) is deluded. Does anyone seriously believe that this was anything other than a financial exercise that cherry picked but strangely unavailable "evidence" was used to justify? Just as an aside all those worried about abstraction as an issue may not be reassured to know that abstraction licence revenues are a major, possibly the largest, source of income for the cash strapped NRW.

Perhaps the NRW can explain how mitigation habitat work can restore the salmon runs in rivers where there has been a massive loss of spawning areas. I'm struggling to see how this could be achieved on for example the Treweryn and Rheidol but would be delighted to see an explanation.

The former CCW are now effectively running the NRW and I believe that they do not intend to increase expenditure on our rivers, they almost certainly intend to reduce it. What they might be doing is seeking other people, they sweetly call "stakeholders" to front up the cash for the additional (and some existing) work and manpower. Former EAW staff are very unsettled, some are shipping out, and there is an air of chaos and lack of fitness for purpose about the organisation.

I would also not be surprised if the WUF (stakeholders) aren't rubbing their hands with glee as new funding opportunities open up, it is quite obvious that they have aspirations beyond the catchments of their eponymous rivers and may well see themselves as an "all Wales" operation. If I am wrong in this I'd be only too pleased to be corrected by the WUF denying this on these pages, perhaps at the same time explaining why they are seeking to market fishing all over Wales.

I think there might also be a move to get a separate Welsh rod licence introduced in the not too distant future, also open access to our rivers has definitely not gone away. The sad thing is that the loser in all of this will first be the salmon, then the angler.

I'd love to hear that actually none of this will come to pass and in just a few years all our rivers, Wye included, will be teeming with genetically sound salmon fighting for redds in pristine streams but I am not holding my breath. "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suggest you read Item three below.  For their Government  Department of Fisheries just substitute the EA/NRW for England and Wales.

Atlantic Salmon Federation News    Friday, Oct. 31, 2014

ASF Research Blog Talks About Retrievals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A reader asked about retrieving the tags utilized to track Atlantic salmon at sea. Read the response from Graham Chafe, ASF Research Biologist. http://asf.ca/research-in-the-field.html Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Gives Approval to Land-based salmon farms ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This program has extremely rigorous standards of sustainability, and three land-based salmon farms have attained them, in part because quality food is produced while there are no impacts on wild salmon or degradation of the marine environment. Read more: http://asf.ca/monterey-bay-aquarium-sustainability-designation-a-great-ac.html NS Wild Salmon Collapse Hardly a Mystery   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jim Gourlay provides a perspective on why Atlantic salmon numbers have declined in Nova Scotia. http://asf.ca/wild-salmon-collapse-hardly-a-mystery.html PEI Farm Charged after Fish Kill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A kill of Atlantic salmon, trout and other species this summer has resulted in a Prince Edward Island farm going to court. http://asf.ca/pei-farm-charged-after-fish-kill.html Another PEI Farmer Fined $70,000 for Fish Kill A retired PEI farmer was fined $70,000 for being responsible for a fish kill three years ago. Read more: http://asf.ca/retired-pei-farmer-fined-70-000-for-fish-kill-3-years-ago.html Bass Population Takes a Jump ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New assessments are showing that the striped bass population has been increasing in northern Nova Scotia. They are a predator on Atlantic salmon. http://asf.ca/bass-population-takes-a-jump.html