The status of salmon in Scotland: 2024

Although many areas are in overall good conservation status, there are recent declines in the numbers of salmon spawning in rivers across Scotland which highlights a need for precautionary management approaches. Figure 3 highlights those 62 stocks where there was a significant consistent pattern of decline in the best estimates of salmon between 2011 and 2023. These declines are found in stocks of good, moderate, and poor conservation status and are spread throughout Scotland (Figure 3). Of the 79 areas without a significant decline, 59 still had fewer salmon in 2023 than in 2011 (Figure 4). The remaining 32 stocks showed no consistent pattern in the number of salmon.

Figure 3: The location of stocks of salmon assessed as being in good, moderate, or poor conservation status in 2025 where a significant, consistent patterns of decline in the number of salmon was detected between 2011 and 2023. 

Figure 4: The location of stocks of salmon assessed as being in good, moderate, or poor conservation status in 2025 and where no significant, consistent patterns of decline in the number of salmon was detected between 2011 and 2023. 

Across all stocks in Scotland, the total number of salmon returning to coastal waters has declined since estimates began in the 1970s (Figure 5). This decline is seen throughout the North Atlantic (Figure 6) with the available evidence showing that this is, at least partly, driven by changes in oceanic conditions associated with climate change.

Fisheries managers have been able to offset these declines by reducing the killing of wild salmon in net fisheries and by introducing both statutory and voluntary catch and release policies (currently catch and release rates in Scotland are at 96% and no salmon are taken in coastal net fisheries). This reduction in direct killing means that although numbers returning to the coast have declined, the number of salmon escaping fisheries and surviving to spawn in Scottish rivers has remained relatively stable until recently (Figure 5). Despite these measures salmon numbers continue to decline. This has prompted additional management actions and led to the production of Scotland's Wild Salmon Strategy. 

Figure 5: Estimated number of salmon returning to the coast together with estimates of the number surviving to spawn in Scotland. Data source: Marine Directorate, The status of salmon in Scotland.

Figure 6: Estimated number of salmon returning to the coast together with estimates of the number surviving to spawn in the North Atlantic. Data source: ICES Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon, 2024.