Salmon fishing: Proposed river gradings for 2025 season

Respondent Information Form and Consultation Questionnaire

Please Note this form must be completed and returned with your response.

To find out how we handle your personal data, please see our privacy policy: https://www.gov.scot/privacy/

Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?

• Individual
• Organisation

Full name or organisation’s name

Phone number

Address

Postcode

Email Address

The Scottish Government would like your permission to publish your consultation response. Please indicate your publishing preference:

• Publish response with name
• Publish response only (without name)
• Do not publish response

Information for organisations:

The option 'Publish response only (without name)’ is available for individual respondents only. If this option is selected, the organisation name will still be published.

If you choose the option 'Do not publish response', your organisation name may still be listed as having responded to the consultation in, for example, the analysis report.

We will share your response internally with other Scottish Government policy teams who may be addressing the issues you discuss. They may wish to contact you again in the future, but we require your permission to do so. Are you content for Scottish Government to contact you again in relation to this consultation exercise?

• Yes
• No

Overview

We are seeking views on the proposed river gradings for the 2025 fishing season, which have been calculated from the annual assessment of the conservation status of wild Atlantic salmon populations in rivers across Scotland.

An additional aim for the current year is to gather views on a suggested amendment of the Annan district annual close time under the Conservation of Salmon (Annual Close Time and Catch and Release) (Scotland) Regulations 2014.

Why your views matter

Your views inform the process of finalising the river gradings for the 2025 fishing season, which are used in the annual amendment to The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016.

Proposed conservation status for the 2025 fishing season

An assessment of the conservation status of salmon in inland waters in Scotland is carried out each year and each river or assessment group is assigned a conservation status depending on the outcome of that assessment. As a result of the latest assessment, we are proposing that the conservation status of a number of rivers or groups of rivers will change for the 2025 fishing season. A summary of these changes and a full overview of the proposed conservation status for the 2025 fishing season are available.

The detailed changes for the coming year are:

Conservation status has improved for five stocks compared to the previous year, including four stocks which will no longer require mandatory catch and release. These are:

• Hinnisdal to Haultin
• River Clyde
• River Creed
• Ullapool River

Conservation status has declined in twelve stocks compared to the previous year, including nine stocks which will become mandatory catch and release fisheries in 2025. These are:

• Abhainn Eig
• Dunbeath Water
• Endrick Water SAC
• Laxdale and Blackwater (Lewis)
• Lussa River (Jura)
• River Carron (Strathcarron)
• River Leven (Dunbartonshire)
• River Morar
• Soval Estate

We propose that River Leven (Dunbartonshire), assessed as being in good conservation status, should be awarded poor conservation status to reflect the lower grading of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in the catchment – Endrick Water.

We propose that River Ness, assessed as being in good conservation status, should be treated as moderate conservation status to reflect the lower grading of an SAC in the catchment - River Moriston SAC.

The River Teith SAC is assessed as being in good conservation status, while the Forth is in moderate conservation status. However, the situation is complicated by the overlap between the areas (the Teith SAC extends into the River Forth) and we again propose that we should use the lower of the two statuses for both areas, as we did for 2024.

Question 1

Do you agree with the proposed river gradings for the 2025 season?

• I agree with the proposed changes
• I disagree with the proposed changes
• I neither agree or disagree with the proposed changes

Please explain your answer

Question 2

Please indicate your particular area of interest in the conservation assessment.

• I am interested in the whole assessment process
• I am interested in the proposed gradings for all of Scotland
• I am interested in the proposed gradings for a number of districts and/or river areas
• I am interested in the proposed gradings for a particular district or river area
• I am interested in all of the above
• I am not interested in any of the above

Please explain your answer

Question 3

If you are mainly interested in a specific region, district, river or area please specify your area(s) of interest. You can use the examples below to help describe your area.

Definitions and examples

By region, these are as outlined in the supporting pdf documents. Examples include: Moray Firth, North East, Outer Hebrides, Skye etc.

By district, these are as outlined in the conservation status tables. Examples include: Ewe, Gour, Loch Roag, Ythan etc.

By river, these are as outlined in the conservation status tables as river name. Examples include: Balnagowan River, River Doon, River Garnock, Wick River etc.

Please give details below

Question 4

Do you have any concerns about missing or incorrect data, such as catch returns or fish counter information, for your area of interest?

• Yes
• No

Please give details below

If you would like to submit further evidence to support your answer, such as word documents or pdf files etc., please send this to salmonandrecreationalfisheries@gov.scot. Please include your unique ID, which will be provided once you have submitted your response.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB. If you wish to send material larger than 25MB then please break this into two or more files (each under 25 MB) and send these across in multiple emails.

Question 5

Do you have any concerns about being financially impacted by the proposed conservation status?

• Yes
• No

Please give details below

If you would like to submit further evidence to support your answer, such as word documents or pdf files etc., please send this to salmonandrecreationalfisheries@gov.scot. Please include your unique ID, which will be provided once you have submitted your response.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB. If you wish to send material larger than 25MB then please break this into two or more files (each under 25 MB) and send these across in multiple emails.

Question 6

Do you foresee the changes to the conservation status having an impact on you or your business?

• Yes
• No

Please explain

If you would like to submit further evidence to support your answer, such as word documents or pdf files etc., please send this to salmonandrecreationalfisheries@gov.scot. Please include your unique ID, which will be provided once you have submitted your response.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB. If you wish to send material larger than 25MB then please break this into two or more files (each under 25 MB) and send these across in multiple emails.

Annan annual close time

The Conservation of Salmon (River Annan Salmon Fishery District) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 previously allowed for catch and release fishing in the River Annan within the annual close time. Those provisions have expired. We are proposing to reinstate the early rod season for the Annan allowing rod and line fishing to take place on a catch and release basis between 25 February and 31 March in time for the 2025 salmon fishing season.

It is proposed to introduce this change through amendment to The Conservation of Salmon (Annual Close Time and Catch and Release) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 by adding the words “25th February to 31st March” into column 4 of the Schedule against the entry for the Annan.

This would bring the Annan in line with the other districts in Scotland, which have identified specific periods in the early (closed) season when fishing is allowed but retaining salmon is prohibited.

Question 7

Do you agree with the proposed amendment to reinstate the Annan early rod season?

• I agree with the proposed amendment
• I disagree with the proposed amendment
• I neither agree or disagree with the proposed amendment

Please explain your answer

Question 8

Do you have any concerns about being financially impacted by the proposed amendment to reinstate the Annan early rod season?

• Yes
• No

Please give details below

If you would like to submit further evidence to support your answer, such as word documents or pdf files etc., please send this to salmonandrecreationalfisheries@gov.scot. Please include your unique ID, which will be provided once you have submitted your response.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB. If you wish to send material larger than 25MB then please break this into two or more files (each under 25 MB) and send these across in multiple emails.

Question 9

Do you foresee the amendment to reinstate the Annan early rod season having an impact on you or your business?

• Yes
• No

Please explain

If you would like to submit further evidence to support your answer, such as word documents or pdf files etc., please send this to salmonandrecreationalfisheries@gov.scot. Please include your unique ID, which will be provided once you have submitted your response.

Please make sure your file is under 25MB. If you wish to send material larger than 25MB then please break this into two or more files (each under 25 MB) and send these across in multiple emails.

Question 10

What, if any, information did we not provide that would have been helpful in preparing an informed response to this consultation?

Please give details below

Further Comments

Question 11

Do you have any further comments that you wish to add?

Please provide any further comments

Thank you for providing your views

Should you wish to provide further information you can contact us via email at salmonandrecreationalfisheries@gov.scot or write to:

Wild Salmon and Recreational Fisheries

Marine Directorate of Scottish Government

Area 1B North

Victoria Quay

Edinburgh

EH6 6QQ