Strict quotas and restrictions have already been issued by Norway’s Directorate for Nature Management (Direktoratet for naturforvaltning, DN), but if the worst predictions come about, a complete ban may be instituted in large portions of the country, reports Aftenposten.

The crisis situation is blamed primarily on climate changes, which have resulted in declining stocks of the small fish and crustaceans that the salmon feed on.

The salmon are also up against other man-made threats, such as acid rain and fish-farm fish escaping into natural waters.

Researchers say the situation is even worse than previously had been feared.

The record-low level of small salmon (1-3 kilograms) recorded last year reportedly indicates a bad year in 2008 for medium-sized salmon (3-7 kilograms).

"This will have consequences for the spawning," said researcher Peder Fiske at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).

And there isn't any reason to believe that the food supply in the sea has become better since last year, Fiske added.

The situation is said to be equally serious in the best salmon-fishing rivers, such as the Orkla and Namsen, as in the smaller fishing rivers in Norway.

The organisation for landowners and sea-salmon fishers (NGSL), however, does not agree with the researchers' findings.

NGSL foreman Arne Jørrestøl notes that the salmon stocks go up and down. "We need to look at this over several years," said Jørrestøl, who wants an evaluation to be made in the middle of the fishing season.

Wild salmon fishing is a lucrative business for owners of the land and rivers in which the salmon are found, attracting wealthy visitors and celebrities to Norway who pay dearly to lease fishing rights.

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