Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan Delivery Group minutes: June 2024

Attendees and apologies

• Caro Cowan, Marine Directorate (Chair)
• Jamie Stewart, Tweed Commission
• Lorraine Gormley, Scottish Government
• Roger Knight, Spey District Salmon Fishery Board
• Jamie Ribbens, Galloway Fisheries Trust
• Chloe Grant, Fisheries Management Scotland
• Mark Bilsby, Atlantic Salmon Trust
• Alison Baker, Angling Scotland
• Alan Wells, Fisheries Management Scotland
• Sarah Robinson, Scottish Wildlife Trust
• Alexa McCauslen, Northern District Salmon Fishery Board
• Fiona Simpson, Crown Estate Scotland
• Colin Bean, NatureScot
• Linsey Mason-McLean, Scottish Forestry
• John Armstrong, Marine Directorate
• Michelle Campbell, Marine Directorate
• Antje Branding, Marine Directorate
• Lyndsay Christie, Marine Directorate

Apologies

• Roy Richardson, Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Items and actions

Welcome

• CC welcomed everyone to the meeting and updated on membership
• Chloe Grant the newly appointed wild salmon conservation manager at Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS) attended the meeting to cover items on catch and release and fisheries management plans
• Roger Knight was representing the Spey district salmon fishery board for the last time before joining the Spey catchment initiative, he will remain a member of the group

Minutes and actions of last meeting 

• minutes of the last meeting were agreed by correspondence
• action 1, circulate marine directorate organogram to the group, complete
• action 2, SEPA and FMS to meet to discuss barrier removal, FMS and SEPA have set up a forum to discuss areas of concern, the barrier prioritisation conversation is still ongoing
• action 3, the atlantic salmon trust strategy will be circulated, complete
• action 4, a group will be established to develop recommendations on the review of the policy framework, complete
• action 5, marine directorate science input to the saprolegnia PhD will be investigated, the steering group for the saprolegnia PhD will be appointed later this year
• action 6, delivery leads to provide an update on actions for the progress report, complete

Short updates

Scottish Government corporate update 

• CC gave an overview of recent changes within Scottish Government including the appointment of a new First Minister (FM) and the announcement of key priorities of this government. The FM statement will be circulated. Action 1
• due to the UK election on 4th July were are currently in a pre-election period which impacts on the conduct of Scottish Government business

Wild salmon policy team

• AB gave an update of recent staffing changes in the policy team.
• work is ongoing on the conservation of salmon regulations
• the impact of the open seas judicial review ruling is being considered – ruling to be circulated. Action 2
• confirmation that the adult salmon sampling, scottish fisheries coordination centre (SFCC), and the socio-economic study on the value of salmon will all be financially supported this year
• the north atlantic salmon conservation organisation (NASCO) annual meeting took place in Westport, Ireland on 3-7 June. Key updates include, the future of NASCO – a ten year strategy was agreed, annual progress reports to NASCO in 2025 and 2026 will not be mandatory, new NASCO “guidelines for stocking atlantic salmon” were agreed, regulatory measures for West Greenland and Faroes were maintained/renewed, a successful special session on pink salmon was held and the next annual meeting will be held in Cardiff 2-5 June 2025. Links to relevant NASCO publications will be circulated. Action 3

Scottish forestry (SF)

• LMM gave an update that SF have had a budget reduction which won’t allow them to meet the planting target of 18,000 hectares. It is enough to plant up to 9,000 hectares. Scotland is still planting more trees than other UK nations and the forestry grant scheme remains open for applications
• work is ongoing to look at opportunity mapping for woodland creation to reduce flood risk
• SF continue to participate in the scottish beaver advisory group and it’s mitigation sub-group to explore protection measures for existing riparian woodlands and new planting
• the UK forestry standard practice guide on creating and managing riparian woodlands is expected to be published later this year

Crown estate scotland 

• FS gave an update that crown estate scotland are funding the wild salmon conservation manager role within FMS for three years. They are also providing financial support to the socio-economic study on the value of salmon being commissioned by marine directorate

Atlantic salmon trust 

• MB gave an update on the watersheds connections project which seeks to bring together a wide range of available catchment information to a single desktop space. A pilot catchment is being planned for the project subject to funding

Fisheries management scotland

• AW gave an update on FMS staff, projects that had been successfully completed include purchase of accoustic detterent devices, development of fisheries management plans, pink salmon sampling and the recent award of a grant to undertake sweep netting on the west coast in the aquaculture zone this year
• the scottish angling pathway action plan has been drafted and a version will be shared with the group when available. Action 4

Policy framework and finance review group 

• FMS provided an update on action 5.1 in the implementation plan, since the last meeting a stakeholder group has been established and are currently prioritising the issues to be considered. The next meeting is scheduled for 18 June

• discussion by group members on some of the issues including how local management should be financed, what recommendations would require legislative change and what the role of the district salmon fishery boards should be

Improving catch and release advice 

• AB noted that the international union for conservation of nature (IUCN) now consider atlantic salmon to be endangered in Great Britain, and as such there is likely to be increasing scrutiny on the behaviour of anglers. Exploitation of salmon is recognised as a pressure in the strategy and implementation plan. Legal exploitation is now well-controlled in Scotland, through statutory and voluntary measures, and the ongoing efforts by managers and anglers are recognised. However, in the light of salmon being an endangered species, it is critical that best practice is followed when fishing on a catch and release basis. Updated guidance is therefore required, particularly in relation to minimising air exposure of fish
• FMS are leading on this work and gave an update on a steering group that has been established which met for the first time in June to develop refreshed guidance
• discussion by group members on this topic, including Board representatives highlighting policy changes such as not showing photos that don’t meet guidelines, the need to be aligned with other countries, the best way for this guidance to be widely disseminated to the target audience and for wider engagement with anglers
• marine directorate and other group members to consider options for how wider engagement with angling community could be achieved. Action 5

River chairs list of asks  

• AB gave an overview of a meeting held in May between Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands and the chairs of four salmon rivers (Spey, Tay, Tweed and Dee). The river chairs set out their concerns about declining populations and  the impact it has on rural businesses
• AW presented a letter to the Cabinet Secretary following on from the meeting and highlighted the actions which the river chairs would like to see on the ground
• the Cabinet Secretary has agreed to a follow up meeting on the river Spey

Review of the stocking evidence 

• JA gave an update on the work of the science and evidence board (SEB) who are currently reviewing the evidence for stocking when populations are at critically low levels
• the draft recommendations are currently with the SEB for review and the intention is these will be shared with the delivery group for detailed discussion at the next meeting

Marine directorate draft work plan 

• due to the recent changes within Scottish Government and the current pre-election period a detailed work plan for marine directorate has not been finalised
• AB set out areas of work which may be progressed in the current year 

Science and evidence board prioritisation 

• AB and JA set out that one role of the delivery group is to commission the SEB to consider specific topics of interest
• in parallel, while the stocking work has been ongoing, some preliminary work has started to look at a Scotland wide monitoring strategy, in the first instance focussed on public sector monitoring needs
• JA commissioned the delivery group to identify additional topics which could be considered by the SEB. Action 6

Fisheries management plans – update and demo 

• CG gave an overview of the fisheries management plans (FMP) which were developed by FMS members following funding from marine directorate and crown estate scotland. The plans are freely and publicly accessible online and a dashboard has been developed to provide an overview of the work and funding required
• consideration being given to how the FMPs can be used more widely for example to identify projects suitable for green finance initiatives or for enforcement undertakings

Any other business

• communications – the communications strategy and plan should be revisited to ensure it is fit for purpose and that progress and key messages can be widely disseminated to stakeholders [Action 7]

Date of next meeting 

• the next meeting is expected to take place at the end of September 2024. This will include an update from SEPA on river basin management plan progress