Complete and send us your salmon and sea trout catch return form by 31 December each year. Even if you haven’t caught anything, we still need to know.
Salmon and sea trout catch returns for England and Wales
Complete and send the Environment Agency your salmon and sea trout catch return form by 31 December each year. Even if you haven’t caught anything, or didn’t go fishing at all, we still need to know.
If you bought a salmon and sea trout licence we are really interested to know if you fished, how much fishing you did and what you caught. You can submit your catch return electronically using the form. Unfortunately, the electronic PDF form does not work with Apple Macs, iPads and iPhones.
Alternatively, you can print off the form and send it freepost to us at:
Freepost RRZB-RBXL-AYUB,
Fisheries Permitting Team
Environment Agency
Bromholme Lane
Brampton
PE28 4NE
Please note, submitting a catch return is a legal requirement so the Environment Agency needs a catch return form back from each and every angler that bought a salmon and sea trout licence.
Filling in the ‘electronic’ catch return form
IMPORTANT: If using the electronic form you must attach the saved version of the form from your computer onto your email. Do not use the 'Send > page by email' function as it will send a blank form to us if you are still on the webpage.
A catch return form was sent to you with your licence, however if you need another you can download one below.
Complete all sections highlighted in blue. If you did not fish put ‘DNF' in Part 1. If you fished but didn't catch anything then put 'Nil' in the relevant section. Once you have finished the form remember to save it on your computer and close the internet browser down.
You can then email the form to us at:
Why is it important to submit a catch return?
Angler catch returns are fundamental to UK and international effort to protect and improve salmon and sea trout stocks. The information you provide helps us measure how all the major rivers in England and Wales are performing against their Conservation Limit. We use these assessments to decide whether we need to change controls on angling and net fishing - for example, by encouraging more voluntary catch and release, and making or relaxing byelaws and net limitation orders.
In collaboration with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, we also report on the performance of English and Welsh rivers to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO). NASCO is the body that brokers international agreements for salmon management, including quotas for high seas fishing.
Our annual reports (starting from 2000) are available to download:
Net catch returns
The Environment Agency also requires all salmon and sea trout net licence holders to submit an annual logbook containing details of their catch, and to attach a numbered carcass tag to each fish they catch. This helps remove the market for illegally caught fish.
