ABOUT US
OUR VISION
A world where salmon thrive in rivers that are valued and nurtured by riverine communities
NASF (UK) fund local conservation projects that help restore our salmon rivers whilst enlivening people’s appreciation of this precious species.
Together we can restore our waterways — securing the sight of leaping salmon in Britain for future generations.
WHY NOW?
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund UK launched in 2025 to support community-based salmon conservation across Britain.
Wild salmon are in crisis, with a 70% drop in British salmon numbers in 40 years, whilst Wales and Scotland saw this rapid decline in less than 15 years.
In 2023 the International Union for the Conservation of Species (IUCN) Red List upgraded the plight of salmon globally to ‘near threatened’, whereas British salmon’s dire threat warranted ‘Endangered’ status.
By acting now together we can still prevent the extinction of our beloved salmon in UK waterways. So, NASF (UK) are wading in to help, with a rallying cry to all British citizens to join us and help save our wild British salmon
#SaveBritain'sWildSalmon #SaveOurWildSalmon
OUR MISSION
Our charity's mission is to protect, conserve and enhance Britain’s population of wild Atlantic Salmon in our rivers. At the heart of our strategy to achieve this is the launch of our new community-based salmon conservation award, 'The Orri’.
The Orri, was created in honour of NASF founder, Orri Vigfússon, an award-winning salmon conservationist, known affectionately as the ‘Godfather of Salmon’.
Icelandic businessman Orri Vigfússon is credited with saving the wild North Atlantic Salmon from extinction when numbers previously plummeted in the nineties. Orri did so by eliminating commercial fishing of Salmon in their main feeding grounds off the coast of Greenland, compensating fisherman who transitioned to sustainable fisheries.
Orri succeeded in saving salmon in the past, and now we introduce 'The Orri' Award, to support community-based salmon conservation projects here in the UK, to help prevent their extinction in British rivers.
NASF UK is dedicated to protecting and restoring wild Atlantic salmon. As part of this mission, we oppose open-net pen salmon farming due to its significant environmental and ecological impacts.
Open net farms release untreated waste directly into surrounding waters — contributing to pollution and habitat degradation.
Escapes of farmed salmon can interbreed with our endangered wild salmon populations reducing genetic fitness and resilience.
High stocking densities found in UK farmed salmon systems encourage the spread of sea lice, which transfer to migrating wild salmon and sea trout, affecting their survival.
At a time when wild Atlantic salmon are already under serious threat, these combined pressures are of major concern.
NASF UK advocates for sustainable aquaculture approaches that do not harm wild salmon or their environments.
OUR VIEWS: SALMON FARMING
WHO WE ARE
We are collaborators, working with other conservation organisations towards a common goal, to conserve and restore migratory North Atlantic Salmon in UK rivers.
Overtime ‘The Orri’ award winning community projects will create a national network of citizen salmon conservationists, all working with us towards a shared goal.
Our advisors, partners and community network together can stop British salmon becoming extinct in our rivers, with wide benefits for our freshwater ecosystems.
Meet the NASF UK team
Robert Sloss
-
Robert’s love of fish and fishing started at the age of three, catching mackerel off his father’s boat. He is a passionate salmon and trout fisherman, with a deep desire to see these fish protected in their natural environments.Robert met Orri Vigfusson in 2002 and was inspired by Orri’s single-minded determination to turn around the plight of the Atlantic Salmon, often against very steep odds. A few years’ later, Orri asked Robert to become a trustee of NASF(UK) and following Orri’s passing, he became its chairman.
NASF (UK) benefits from Robert’s expertise in strategic thinking and creativity in funding — gained during his 25-year long career as a UK business leader in Sustainable Development. In his role as Chairman Robert wanted to create something to continue Orri’s legacy, with the result being ‘The Orri’, an annual award, combining conservation and community.
Tom Silk
-
When at his desk, Tom runs an Innovation and Growth consultancy that champions collaborative working to help businesses succeed. In his role as a Trustee of NASF UK, he has used his marketing background to position NASF UK’s focus to be different, but complimentary to the good work of our salmon conservation partners.When freed from his desk, Tom is never happier than on the banks of a wild river with his wife and three boys. He has a passionate belief in the importance of man’s connectivity with Nature, recognising that if we don’t appreciate the natural world around us, we will never provide the love and respect it requires to flourish.
Charlie Arden
-
From his early childhood Charlie has been obsessed with the wild Atlantic salmon and their incredible life-cycle. He joins NASF (UK) with a firm commitment to reverse their decline.Charlie currently lives in London, working as Investment Director at Praxis Capital, a property investment company . However, driven by his passion for nature and marine-life, he spends all available time touring the UK’s rivers and coastlines, especially in Purbeck, Dorset – where he grew up. He also embarked on a year-long sabbatical in 2024, sailing across Europe, the Atlantic and the Caribbean.
Nicky Shale
-
Nicky’s love of nature was shaped by her upbringing in the rural West Midlands, where she spent much of her childhood exploring nearby lakes, streams and woodlands. She went on to study Zoology at the University of Bristol and Ecology at the University of Oxford, inspired by conservationists including Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Sir David Attenborough.
Today, she adds Orri Vigfússon to that list and is proud to support the continuation of his legacy through her work with NASF UK.
Nicky is an ecologist specialising in strategic storytelling and environmental communications, she works with NASF UK to develop, refine and deliver their communications strategy.
Dani Morey Strang
-
Dani is a monthly columnist for ‘Trout & Salmon’ magazine and a salmon fishing guide based on The River Spey in Scotland.
She grew up fishing the southern chalk streams of England and has since travelled the world in pursuit of new fishing challenges. With over 40 years of experience she’s witnessed first-hand the negative impacts of environmental and ecological changes, on local communities and the wider world, alongside a stark fall in Atlantic salmon numbers.
As a mother, Dani is keen to ensure that everything is done to protect our wild salmon for generations to come — organising charity days, ladies days and youth schemes to educate and encourage as many people into fishing and conservation as possible.
Dani was a judge for the inaugural ‘Orri’ award 2025 before being invited to join NASF UK as a Trustee in July 2026. She is keen to help promote citizen change and conserve salmon in UK rivers.