Salmon and Sea Trout Fishing
Scotland is a stronghold of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and sea trout (Salmo trutta), the anadromous form of brown trout. These fish spend several years in rivers, migrate to sea and then return as adults to spawn. Marine migrations in salmon are generally more extensive than those of sea trout. Salmon usually spawn once whereas sea trout may spawn several times.
Fishing
All salmon and sea trout fishing rights in Scotland, including in the sea, are private, heritable titles, which may be held separately from any land. Fishing methods fall into one of three broad categories:
- Fixed engine fisheries are restricted to the coast and must be set outside estuary limits. Bag-nets, stake nets and jumper nets are different forms of fishing gear used across Scottish fisheries, with poke nets and haaf nets restricted to the Solway Firth area. To help preserve stocks, the retention of salmon caught in coastal waters has been prohibited since 2016. Retaining sea trout is still permitted.
- Net and coble fisheries generally operate in estuaries and the lower reaches of rivers.
- Rod and line fisheries comprise angling activities which generally take place within rivers and above tidal limits. This method currently accounts for the majority of salmon and sea trout catches and over 90% of rod-caught fish are subsequently released back to the water.
Salmon distribution
Information is collected by a number of organisations on the distribution of salmon and sea trout in Scottish rivers and lochs, principally using:
- electrofishing surveys to identify numbers of juvenile fish, and
- fish counters to identify numbers of fish leaving rivers and returning from sea to spawn
The availability of suitable spawning habitat is affected by a number of factors, including natural and man-made barriers in rivers and the quality and temperature of the water.
Conservation of wild salmon stocks
The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016 outline a system under which the killing of Atlantic salmon in inland waters is managed on an annual basis by categorising the conservation status of their stocks. In general terms, the regulations:
- prohibit the retention of salmon caught in coastal waters,
- permit the killing of salmon within inland waters where stocks are above a defined conservation limit, and
- require mandatory catch and release of salmon in areas which fall below their defined conservation limit following the assessment of salmon stocks, or where there is insufficient information to assess the conservation status of stocks.
Salmon Fishery Management
There are 41 statutory District Salmon Fishery Boards (DSFBs) in Scotland, including the River Tweed Commission. DSFBs provide local management of fisheries, including their protection and improvement. Where there is no Board in place, Scottish Ministers may assume the responsibilities of a DSFB. There are also 26 charitable Rivers or Fisheries Trusts in Scotland. Trusts often work in partnerships with the DSFBs which cover the same catchments to manage and conserve Scotland’s fisheries resources.
The River Tweed catchment includes parts of England and Scotland. Functions relating to fisheries management in this catchment are the responsibility of Scottish Ministers and the River Tweed Commission. Management of salmon and sea trout in respect of the Border Esk catchment rests with UK Ministers and the Environment Agency.
More information on DSFBs and Rivers or Fisheries Trusts is available from their representative body: Fisheries Management Scotland (https://fms.scot)
Salmon Fishery Statistics
The Scottish Government collects catch and effort data from salmon and sea trout fisheries annually and subsequently publishes the data as Official Statistics. Published catch data may be aggregated to 11 Statistical Regions, to 109 Fishery Districts or to 173 Assessment Areas where salmon stocks are assessed for the Salmon Conservation Regulations.
