Scottish salmon and sea trout fishery statistics 2023
Summary of the salmon and sea trout fishery catch statistics updated for the 2023 season.
Salmon Rod Fishery
Of the 32,477 wild fish reported as caught in the rod fishery, 31,289 were subsequently released and 1,188 retained. Total rod catch of salmon has generally declined from its peak of 111,405 in 2010. The 2023 total rod catch was the lowest since records began in 1952 and 77% of the previous five-year average.
Chart 1: Rod fishery, salmon
Annual number of salmon reported caught by rod fisheries since 1952, and annual number of salmon reported caught and released by rod fisheries since 1994 (thousands).
Data source: 2023 Scottish salmon and sea trout statistics, Supplementary Tables, Table 1, from the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate.
Stock Components
Trends in total rod catch vary among individual stock components (Chart 2).
Catch of spring multi sea-winter (MSW) fish (taken before 1 May) has generally declined since records began. Although they have been relatively stable in recent years, the 2023 spring catch total is the third lowest on record, and 89% of the previous five-year average. The five-year average is affected by the fishery closures during the COVID-19 restrictions (2020 and 2021). Only in the COVID-19 impacted years were fewer spring MSW salmon reported than in the 2023 season.
Catches of MSW caught after April, summed with one sea-winter salmon (1SW), continued the general decline since a peak in 2010. The 2023 total (30,111) shows a decrease of 23%, when compared to 2022, and is 76% of the previous five-year average.
Chart 2: Rod fishery, salmon stock components
Annual number of spring MSW salmon and summer/autumn MSW + 1SW salmon reported by rod fisheries since 1952 (thousands).
Data source: 2023 Scottish salmon and sea trout statistics, Supplementary Tables, Table 1, from the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate.
Catch and release
The percentage of the rod catch accounted for by catch and release has generally increased since 1994, when such information was first recorded. In 2023, 96% of the annual rod catch, and 99% of the spring rod catch, were released (Chart 3). A proportion of fish released from the rod fishery may be re-caught and hence inflate the catch statistics by appearing in the reported data more than once.
Chart 3: Rod Fishery, catch and release of salmon
Percentage of catch and release of annual and spring salmon reported by rod fisheries.
Data source: 2023 Scottish salmon and sea trout statistics, Supplementary Tables, Table 1, from the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate.
Contact
Email: md.catchform@gov.scot
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