Freshwater fisheries

Scotland supports a number of freshwater fisheries, such as angling for Atlantic salmon, which are of world renown and have been regulated by laws dating back to the 15th Century. Fisheries for coarse fish species, although traditionally less important in Scotland than other parts of the UK, are becoming increasingly important, and game anglers also fish for grayling on rivers such as the Annan, Clyde, Tay and Tweed.   Coarse anglers have fished for species such as pike and perch in Scotland for many years, but there is a growing interest to fish for species such as roach, bream which have a more restricted distribution. A number of specialist fisheries, for species such as carp have become established around the south and central belt of Scotland.

Who owns these fisheries?

In Scotland, fishing rights are private and it is not the fish but the right to fish for them that is owned. Salmon fishing rights are heritable titles, which may be held with, or separate from, any land, and carry with them the inferior right to fish for trout and other freshwater fish. The right to catch fish in Scottish freshwaters is a private one and access fisheries is largely controlled by the proprietors, who include, for example, The Crown Estate, private individuals, companies, local authorities and angling clubs/associations.

How much do they contribute to the Scottish economy?

In 2004 game and coarse anglers contributed £113 million to the Scottish economy. Atlantic salmon anglers were the greatest contributors (65%), and a further 30 % was contributed by brown and rainbow trout anglers. Coarse anglers contributed 5% of the total revenue, although this figure may rise as his angling sector increases in scale and popularity.

Who manages freshwater fisheries?

Responsibility for the stewardship of all freshwater fish resources lies with Scottish Ministers. Scottish Government, through Marine Scotland Science    and Marine Scotland Policy  , plays an important role in the delivery and implementation of fisheries legislation, and in the monitoring and analysis of catch statistics. Marine Scotland also carry out scientific programmes designed to underpin fisheries policy. Since 2008, Marine Scotland Science also regulate the movement of all species of fish other than 'salmon' to inland waters. Get further information and application forms for moving or introducing freshwater fish  . Scottish Natural Heritage are consulted by Marine Scotland Science if any applications to introduce fish are planned to take place in waters within, or connected to sites designated for nature conservation.

District Salmon Fishery Boards    have a legal remit to regulate and manage salmon (meaning both Atlantic salmon and sea trout) fisheries in Scotland. Of the 54 administrative Fishery Districts in Scotland, only 42 of these are managed by operational Boards. One notable exception to the DSFB framework is that the administration of freshwater fisheries is the responsibility of the River Tweed Commissioners, whose powers are set out in specific Tweed Fisheries Acts. It is the only 'Board' which has the responsibility for managing all freshwater fish species as well as 'salmon'. Boards raise funds for the policing or protection of the salmon resource through a levy system. Some money is also spent on management of salmon rivers, although much of the responsibility for management lies with the proprietors themselves. Scottish Ministers can also regulate salmon fisheries through the provision of legislative controls. It is, for example, illegal to introduce salmon to any water within a DSFB area without written permission from the relevant Board.

Although some of the larger DSFBs employ full-time biologists, it was the establishment of the first Fishery Trust in the 1980's that enabled smaller DSFBs, other fishery owners and stakeholders to employ full-time biologists to help them to manage fisheries in their area. Initially, the Fishery Trusts focussed their work on Atlantic salmon, and to a lesser degree, trout but recently have included all freshwater fish species. In 2005, the 22 organisations which make up the Fishery Trust network, became linked through the development of a core organisation called the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland  . In addition to RAFTS, the Scottish Fisheries Co-ordination Centre  was established in 1997 to act as a repository for Fishery Trust data, and to develop standard fish sampling and habitat assessment methodologies.

Outwith the formal structures of DSFBs, a number of other bodies manage fisheries in Scotland. A number of umbrella bodies exist to represent game anglers (such as the Scottish Anglers National Association  and the Salmon and Trout Association  ). Coarse anglers are represented by the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling  . These organisations represent anglers at the national level, but their constituent angling clubs and associations are locally active and many manage their own owned or leased fisheries. Private fishery owners and some public bodies or publically-owned companies (such as the Forestry Commission Scotland  , Scottish Water or the Crown Estate) also manage freshwaters for angling purposes, or lease assets to angling clubs.

The full range of fisheries interests are represented on the Scottish Government - led Freshwater Fisheries Forum  . This forum is a stakeholder group tasked with providing advice to Government on all aspects of freshwater fisheries management. One of the key outputs of this group was the publication of the Strategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater Fisheries  . This document provides a framework for the way in which freshwater fisheries will be managed in future years.

Scottish Natural Heritage contribute to the working of this Forum, and a variety of sub-groups designed to deliver the aims of the Strategic Framework.