SOMETHING FISHY

The Scottish Government has published the annual catch data for salmon and sea trout for 2016. This data shows that the 2016 rod catch of salmon was 55,109, compared to 54,969 in 2014 and 45,175 in 2013. However, the most worrying data collected shows the 2016 rod catch of sea trout was 18,054 – the third lowest figure on record and 84% of the five year average. Andrew Graham-Stewart, Director of Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS), has noted an almost total collapse of sea trout numbers in salmon farming areas of the west Highlands and Islands due to the presence of sea lice. S&TCS have called on the Scottish Government to tighten the regulation of salmon farming, in particular the control of sea lice, with the express purpose of protecting wild fish from infestation.