Fishery and community groups that want to help save Scotland’s wild salmon have been urged to bid for a share of a £145,000 funding pot. Organisations and projects have until 31 March 2023 to apply to the Wild Fisheries Fund, set up by salmon farming body Salmon Scotland.
The fund is part of a £1.5 million commitment from Scotland’s salmon farmers to support the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of wild salmon populations.
Projects which receive grants will aim to stem the decades-long decline in wild fish numbers through habitat protection, protection from predators and restocking programmes.
Habitat loss and rising river temperatures primarily due to climate change have impacted on wild salmon and sea trout populations throughout the UK and all over the Scottish coastline.
Salmon farming companies, which only operate on the west coast of Scotland, launched the fund to play their part finding solutions, engaging constructively with the wild fish sector and taking meaningful action to save wild salmon.
Previously called the “Wild Salmonid Fund”, since 2021, more than £190,000 has been invested in restoration projects to reduce riverbank erosion and measures to provide tree canopy and in-stream cover for young salmon.
Decisions on grants will be taken by Salmon Scotland in April, and the fund is being co-ordinated by Salmon Scotland’s Fishery Manager Jon Gibb.
“The wild fisheries fund represents a rare and exceptional opportunity to access vital funds to improve their local rivers and lochs. I am looking forward to receiving strong applications from a diverse range of bodies in the wild sector,” Gibb said. “The fund aims to support projects of all sizes that aim to improve conservation and biodiversity.
“As someone who has worked on Scotland’s salmon rivers for many years, I know we are facing a species on the brink of extinction in some places. Wild salmon are in a deep and dire crisis, and the aquaculture sector can play a vital role in mitigating their decline.”
