Atlantic salmon

Wild Atlantic salmon populations are at historically low levels and scientific advice recommends that no catch takes place. In line with advice from the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) the conservation status of stocks is assessed on a river by river basis, except those areas where fishery catch cannot be assigned to individual rivers. The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016 regulates the killing of Atlantic salmon in inland waters, managing stocks on an annual basis by categorising their conservation status.The conservation status of each stock is defined using the probabilities of meeting the conservation limit over a five-year period. Rather than a simple pass or fail stocks are allocated to one of three grades each with their own recommended management actions. Grade 1 rivers (29 proposed in 2023) are rivers in which exploitation is sustainable and no additional management action is currently required. Grade 2 rivers (31 proposed in 2023) are those in which management action is necessary to reduce exploitation and the need for mandatory catch and release will be reviewed annually. Grade 3 rivers (113 proposed in 2023) are those In which exploitation is unsustainable and management actions are required to reduce exploitation for a year. In 2023, only 1 river has improved its grading, while 20 have moved down a grade.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 i.e. those rivers accorded grade 1 or 2 status for the fishing season; require mandatory catch and release of salmon in areas which fall below their defined CL following the assessment of salmon stocks i.e. grade 3 rivers.Statutory conservation measures ensure that no salmon is taken in Scotland before 1 April each year. ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, fishing should only take place on salmon from rivers where stocks have been shown to be at full reproductive capacity. Mixed-stock fisheries present particular threats, and should be managed based on the individual status of all stocks exploited in the fishery.