Atlantic salmon · Salmo salar

Atlantic salmon in England's Rivers

The largest recorded measurement is 105 cm (41.3 in), from Forge Weir Index River Fish Trap in River Lune on 7 November 2003.

Median length: 7.2 cm (2.8 in)
Fish measured: 383,007
Named waterways: 835
Latest observation: 29 Jul 2026

Direct individual measurements

Largest atlantic salmon by waterway

Ranked by the largest individual measured in EA surveys. The sample size shows how many valid length measurements underpin each waterway's figures.

Rank	River or waterway	Largest	Median	Measured	Measured at
1	River LuneNorth West	105 cm (41.3 in)	7.5 cm (3 in)	11,138	7 Nov 2003Forge Weir Index River Fish Trap
2	River UreYorkshire and North East	97.5 cm (38.4 in)	6.7 cm (2.6 in)	4,448	9 Jul 2007Middleham
3	River TeesYorkshire and North East	96.8 cm (38.1 in)	9.3 cm (3.7 in)	10,548	13 Oct 1999SAP/BT Annual, Broken Scar
4	River RibbleNorth West	95 cm (37.4 in)	7.2 cm (2.8 in)	3,124	14 May 2012Waddow Weir
5	River Main TamarSouth West	93 cm (36.6 in)	62.2 cm (24.5 in)	9,031	30 May 2011Gunnislake Weir Index River Fish Trap
6	River OuseYorkshire and North East	90 cm (35.4 in)	75.4 cm (29.7 in)	67	11 Jul 2016Naburn Weir (single anode)
7	River IdleMidlands	87 cm (34.3 in)	87 cm (34.3 in)	1	3 Nov 2003Bawtry
8	Main River ParrettSouth West	84.4 cm (33.2 in)	74.4 cm (29.3 in)	5	21 Jul 2006Oath Lock (salmon)
9	River Molesey - TeddingtonSouth East	78.8 cm (31 in)	65 cm (25.6 in)	6	10 Sept 2003Molesey Weir Pool
10	River Main FalSouth West	77 cm (30.3 in)	7.3 cm (2.9 in)	29	5 Aug 2011Trelasker

Equal maximum lengths are ordered by sample size. Measurements are shown as recorded and are not converted into estimated weights.

383,007 fish measured

Measured atlantic salmon lengths

The median divides the measured sample in half. This distribution describes surveyed fish, not every atlantic salmon living in England.

0–19 mm

20–39 mm

4793

40–59 mm

104756

60–79 mm

108394

80–99 mm

52339

100–119 mm

60095

120–139 mm

31868

140–159 mm

7642

160–179 mm

1605

180–199 mm

408

200–219 mm

220–239 mm

240–259 mm

260–279 mm

280–299 mm

300–319 mm

320–339 mm

340–359 mm

360–379 mm

380–399 mm

400–419 mm

420–439 mm

440–459 mm

460–479 mm

480–499 mm

500–519 mm

102

520–539 mm

205

540–559 mm

473

560–579 mm

826

580–599 mm

1153

600–619 mm

1284

620–639 mm

1242

640–659 mm

941

660–679 mm

736

680–699 mm

632

700–719 mm

613

720–739 mm

635

740–759 mm

592

760–779 mm

508

780–799 mm

335

800–819 mm

227

820–839 mm

145

840–859 mm

860–879 mm

880–899 mm

900–919 mm

920–939 mm

940–959 mm

960–979 mm

980–999 mm

1020–1039 mm

1040–1059 mm

Only positive individual lengths that pass RiverFish's general measurement checks are included. Each bar covers a 20 mm range.

Latest EA evidence

Latest atlantic salmon observations

The ten most recent survey visits that recorded atlantic salmon in named waterways.

Date	River or waterway	Survey location	Fish recorded
29 Jul 2026	Main River Erme	Downstream Ivybridge STW (Te)	147
28 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Riverhill farm	185
27 Jul 2026	River Swale	Great Langton DS of midbar	1
24 Jul 2026	River Main East Dart	U/s Postbridge (Te)	57
15 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Bellingham	52
15 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne near Bellingham	5
14 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Tarset Hall	120
14 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Newton	150
13 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Falstone Tennis Courts	35
13 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne u/s of Tarset Burn	75

A survey record confirms atlantic salmon at that place and time. It does not show present-day abundance or fishing access.

18,474 positive survey visits

Survey distribution

EA surveys recorded atlantic salmon at 3,680 locations across 835 named waterways represented on RiverFish.

Region	Waterways	Locations	Survey visits	Latest record
North West	351	1,456	6,270	8 Jul 2026
South West	291	1,151	7,868	29 Jul 2026
Yorkshire and North East	101	629	2,975	28 Jul 2026
Midlands	65	296	845	30 Sept 2025
South East	27	148	516	27 Oct 2025

483 detailed pages

Atlantic salmon by river

Open any river-specific page for its measured lengths, largest surveyed individuals, locations and observation history.

Midlands 29 pages

North West 196 pages

South East 11 pages

Cheriton stream2 locations · latest 2010 Itchen Navigation3 locations · latest 2025 River Candover9 locations · latest 2012 River Chess6 locations · latest 1987 River Itchen32 locations · latest 2025 River Kennet14 locations · latest 2010 River Lambourn5 locations · latest 2006 River Meon6 locations · latest 2025 River Molesey - Teddington1 locations · latest 2019 River Test48 locations · latest 2025 Testwood & Nursling Fishery4 locations · latest 2025

South West 183 pages

Yorkshire and North East 64 pages

How to read this page

Survey measurements, not angling records

Environment Agency surveys are designed to monitor fish populations. Their largest measurement is not equivalent to a verified rod-and-line record, and the survey sample does not include every river or every atlantic salmon.

Waterway groups with administrative or mixed-river labels are excluded from the headline national totals and rankings. Their eligible river-specific pages remain available in the directory so no published destination is hidden.

The fish records use the Environment Agency source snapshot dated 10 August 2026.

How RiverFish handles the data →