Fish farmers have pledged to safeguard Scotland’s wild salmon and sea trout with the launch today of a new fund.
Salmon Scotland’s wild fisheries fund will see £145,000 invested this year as part of a £1.5 million commitment.
The money will be available to a broad range of organisations in the aquaculture sector to help fund projects such as habitat protection and restocking programmes.
“Wild salmon are in deep, deep crisis and the aquaculture sector can play a vital role in stemming the worst of their precipitous decline,” said Jon Gibb, co-ordinator of the Salmon Scotland wild fisheries fund.
“The Scottish farm-raised salmon sector has reached out with the offer of help to the wild fishing community, and it is my sincere wish that both managers and anglers up and down the west coast rise to the challenge and use this welcome and timely funding to save the future of the king of fish.”
Previously called the ‘wild salmonid fund’, more than £190,000 has already been invested since 2021 in restoration projects to reduce riverbank erosion and provide tree canopy and in-stream cover for young salmon.
The new fund will open on 1 February and run until 31 March, with decisions on grants taken by Salmon Scotland in April.
