Anglers banned from killing on more rivers
Anglers will be banned from taking their catch home on more than 100 rivers in Scotland this year as wild salmon stocks reach “crisis point”.
Figures for the 2020 season show 103 of Scotland’s 173 salmon rivers are classed as category three this year compared to 95 last year.
Itmeansalmost60percentof salmon rivers are now classed as category three, meaning stocks are low and making a catch and release policy mandatory within their waters. Ten rivers or waterways have moved to the highest conservation status since last year amid ongoing concerns over the survival of the species.
Some angling clubs say their memberships are declining because of the inability to kill and take home salmon.
Critics also questioned the methodology used to grade rivers, insisting it fails to provide a true reflection of stocks.
Andrew Graham-stewart, director of Salmon and Trout Scotland, said fish farms had the biggest impact.
He said: “Whilst Scottish Government acknowledges that wild salmon numbers are in severe decline, their response generally amounts to little more than lip service.
“In the west Highlands and islands the main pressure is the impact of sea lice from salmon farms, infesting juvenile wild salmon with fatal consequences. The total absence of regulation to protect wild salmon from the impacts of salmon farming was clearly highlighted by the Scottish Parliament’s inquiry into the industry in 2018.”
Conservation regulations introduced in 2016 sort salmon rivers into three categories, with one indicating fishing is sustainable and three meaning salmon numbers are low. Thirty-five rivers now fall within category two, meaning “management action is necessary to reduce exploitation”.
A further 35 are classed as category one where no additional action is required.
The number of rivers in category three rose this year, but is still lower than the 122 recorded in 2018.
An impact assessment submitted to Holyrood’s environment, climate change and land reform committee said “a number of angling clubs have concerns about a reported decline in the renewal of club memberships because of the inability to kill a salmon”.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the decline in the numbers of wild salmon returning to Scottish rivers was “of great concern and we are determined to safeguard the future”.