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biodiversity
Catches of Wild Salmon13: 1952-2004
Numbers caught (thousands)
Method 14 | 1952 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2004 |
|---|
Fixed engine | 190 | 159 | 117 | 48 | 23 | 21 |
|---|
Net & coble | 154 | 187 | 106 | 50 | 13 | 6 |
|---|
Rod & line 15 (retained) | 41 | 63 | 71 | 72 | 45 | 47 |
|---|
Rod & line 15 (released) | - | - | - | - | 21 | 46 |
|---|
The salmon fishing industry is a significant economic and leisure resource in rural Scotland. To protect this resource sustainable management practices are essential. Climate change, water pollution, predation and disease may affect populations. Yearly variations in weather, timing of runs and fishing effort can affect catch sizes. Consequently, a difference in catch does not necessarily indicate a difference in the abundance of the stock that provides the catch.
Catch sizes for the fixed engine and net & coble fisheries have fallen by 89% and 96% respectively since 1952. Catches rose during the 1950s and 1960s but have declined rapidly since the early 1970s. The fishing effort has declined at a similar rate, and effort in 2004 was less than 10% of that in 1952 for both fisheries. 16
Catches by rod & line have remained relatively steady over the period 1952-2004. Since 1994, salmon that have been caught and released by anglers have been reported separately. In 2004, 47,000 salmon were retained and 46,000 released. No figures for fishing effort for rod & line catches are available.
The Salmon Act 1986, as amended by the Salmon Conservation (Scotland) Act 2001, lays out terms for the conservation and sustainable management of salmon fisheries in Scotland. It includes provisions for setting weekly and annual close times and defining the fishing method that may be used.
SOURCE: FRESHWATER FISHERIES RESEARCH SERVICE
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