Salmon Fishing Proposed River Gradings for 2024 Season: Island Communities Impact Assessment

Step Four – Assessment

Questions addressed:

• Does your assessment identify any unique impacts on island communities?
• Does your assessment identify any potential barriers or wider impacts?
• How will you address these?

We view fishing as an inclusive activity that can be undertaken by anyone regardless of whether they are young, old, able-bodied or otherwise. The Amendment Regulation seeks to amend the river categories resulting from the latest available assessment data. There are three additional rivers which will now require mandatory catch and release, of these one relates to an island community in the Isle of Skye. However, all four of the river or river assessment areas which have increased in Grade from 3 to 2 are located in the Outer Hebrides and Isle of Mull. These areas under the amendment regulations may retain salmon however, we would still encourage voluntary catch and release practices. It is the right to retain salmon that is prohibited in Grade 3 rivers, we do not seek to stop anyone from fishing altogether. Additionally, one further area within the Outer Hebrides rose from a Grade 2 to a Grade 1.

There are no unique economic or social impacts on island communities.

We provide river names as they are known. In many cases the Gaelic names are used, as this was the case in the legislation as set out in the 1800s, on which the descriptions of geographic distribution of rivers have been based.

During the annual public consultation period, we asked questions relating to the impacts those responding would have in relation to the proposed river gradings. No evidence was provided that would lead us to believe that there are any potential barriers or wider impacts on island communities.