They are known as the King of Fish – yet salmon stocks are in dramatic decline in a record number of Scottish rivers, an alarming new report shows.
Although an icon of wild Scotland and a prized catch around the world, salmon is now so scarce in many waters that anglers are banned from taking them.
An annual audit of the nation’s waterways shows 153 rivers are officially rated as ‘poor’ for salmon conservation, meaning that it is illegal for fishermen to remove any fish they catch under threat of a fine or criminal conviction.
The report, published by the Scottish Government, reveals an unprecedented 72 per cent of rivers are now covered by this mandatory ‘catch and release’ policy.
It comes as conservationists have warned that wild salmon are at risk of extinction – with a range of factors blamed including climate change, pollution, blocked rivers, and also disease and parasites spread from fish-farms.
Last night Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokesman Tim Eagle said: ‘This is devastating news against a backdrop of ever dwindling numbers of salmon in Scotland’s rivers.
‘These gradings are a fatal blow and will harm many people’s livelihoods. This comes following years of inaction from SNP ministers to fully protect our rivers.’
In the newly published annual ‘river gradings’, 212 rivers and waterways are rated according to the risk of salmon stocks declining. Every river has a ‘conservation limit’ – the threshold below which its fish population is considered to be at risk.
Salmon stocks are in dramatic decline in a record number of Scottish rivers, an alarming new report shows
The King of Fish is now so scarce in many waters that anglers are banned from taking them
In total, 153 rivers (72 per cent) are rated as ‘poor’/grade 3 – meaning a less than 60 per cent probability of meeting its conservation limit over five years.
Many large rivers including the Clyde, Ayr and Don are rated as ‘poor’.
According to the rules: ‘All rivers in poor conservation status are subject to mandatory catch and release through the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016. All salmon, regardless of how they are caught, must be returned to the river with least possible harm.’
Only 31 rivers (15 per cent) are classed as ‘good’/grade 1 – meaning at least an 80 per cent probability of meeting the conservation limit.
Salmon caught in these rivers can legally be taken as trophies or to be eaten.
One glimmer of good news for the £100 million-a-year angling industry is that the ‘Big Four’ – Scotland’s most famous salmon rivers, the Tay, Spey, Tweed, and Dee, which are all designated as Special Areas of Conservation – are among those rated as ‘good’.
But conservation charity WildFish accused ministers of failing to tackle the biggest threat to stocks of wild salmon – the growing number of salmon farms around Scotland’s west coast.
Interim director Andrew Graham-Stewart said ‘The great majority of the grade 3 rivers are located in western Scotland or the Hebrides.
Juvenile salmon from these rivers have no option but to swim past marine salmon farms as they migrate towards their ocean feeding grounds.
Luckily, Scotland’s most famous salmon rivers, including the Tay (pictured), are among those rated as ‘good’
‘During this migration they are highly likely to be infested by sea lice from the farms. If they pick up more than ten or so, the infestation will be fatal.’
He added: ‘Despite being aware of the issue for many years, the Scottish Government has failed dismally to introduce effective regulation to limit sea lice numbers on salmon farms.’
The Scottish Government said Special Area of Conservation status for some rivers was benefiting salmon, as were other measures – including planting riverside trees to shade water from rising temperatures, and restoring natural river flows by removing obsolete weirs and dams.
A spokesman said action was also being taken to tackle the threat of sea lice from salmon farms.
They added: ‘Populations of wild Atlantic salmon are at crisis point and ministers have been clear we must reinvigorate our collective efforts, both nationally and internationally, to ensure a positive future for this iconic species.
‘A new risk assessment framework, developed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has been introduced, to manage the impacts of sea lice from farmed fish on wild salmon.’
In 2023, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified wild salmon for the first time as ‘endangered’ – alongside other species at risk of extinction including the Siberian tiger, the blue whale and the Komodo dragon.
