Wild Atlantic salmon are in danger of extinction, according to the the Atlantic Salmon Trust, which studies the “king of fish”.

In its annual review the trust said that the fish was disappearing from its southern ranges and that its northern runs also appeared to be suffering.

These included the rivers Spey and Dee, because, the trust said, not enough was being done to halt the deaths of migrating salmon at sea, and because parasites, pollution and diseases from fish farms were taking their toll.

Early returns indicate that last year’s catches in the UK, North America, Iceland, Norway and Ireland were considerably lower than the five-year average, the review said.

“Numbers of wild Atlantic salmon at sea have declined by more than 60 per