A bylaw has been introduced meaning salmon caught on the River Severn must be released, to protect the fish's numbers in the river.

The new law means catch and release is compulsory for rod and line fishing in the Welsh stretch of the river in Montgomeryshire, follows a similar bylaw which was introduced ahead of last year's season after stock figures revealed a "significant reduction" in salmon numbers in the river.

It was warned at the time that the low numbers were pushing the Severn into the "probably at risk" category.

The emergency bylaw comes into force on Monday, March 1.

Peter Gough, NRW’s principal fisheries advisor, said: “The continued decline in salmon stock numbers means that every fish returned safely could contribute to improving the spawning population and even relatively small numbers of fish are crucial to recover stocks in as short a time as possible.

“The decline is not just in Welsh or English rivers but throughout the North Atlantic.

“Later this spring we hope to bring forward a public consultation in conjunction with the Environment Agency (EA) on measures to protect the Severn salmon stock for the next 10 years.

“Given the timescales involved it was not possible to complete the usual three-month consultation process, so pending that process we needed to protect the stock with this interim emergency byelaw.”

The emergency byelaw replicates the current level of protection for salmon introduced to English sections of the River Severn by the Environment Agency.

Reducing the taking of salmon is only one part of the two agencies' larger national programmes to protect salmon stocks.

Others include removing barriers, improving water quality, minimising predation, implementing better agricultural practices and addressing unsustainable water abstractions.

Mr Gough added: “We understand the impact this will have on fishermen, however only by taking immediate and robust action will our stocks return to sustainable levels.

“We want to work with the angling communities to protect our fish and fisheries for future generations to enjoy and the introduction of new controls will be a positive step in helping protect stock.”