Safeguarding wild salmon fisheries

As well as making recommendations to the Scottish Government, it advises that existing measures to manage and conserve Scotland’s wild salmon fisheries should be firmly upheld.

The group, established as part of the Strategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater Fisheries, brought together representatives from salmon angling and commercial net fisheries interests to develop a strategy for managing Scotland’s mixed stock fisheries (MSF).

While final evidence did not allow a consensus to be reached, the group has made 21 recommendations, including:

• Keeping MSF management at local level, while implementing nationally agreed procedures and co-opted expertise when needed
• Marine Scotland Science, in consultation with fishery proprietors, should consider the case for further research in order to help address the scientific evidence gap
• The existing good practice in cooperation and coordination should be strengthened and supported

Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“This is an important report for the future of Scottish salmon. Scotland’s wild salmon and sea trout stocks, as with all others in the North Atlantic, face many challenges. I appreciate the willingness of all interests who worked together, and will continue to do so, in order to seek better ways forward in conservation and management.

“The Mixed Stock Salmon Fisheries Working Group has provided an important opportunity for all voices to be heard and the issues facing our wild fisheries to be clearly set out. I share the group’s commitment to sustainable wild salmon and sea trout stocks and will consider the findings very carefully before publishing an initial response in early Autumn.”