Introduction
Scotland is blessed with salmon and freshwater fisheries resources of world renown. Rivers such as the Tweed, Tay, Dee and Spey are synonymous with both salmon fishing and Scotland. Loch Leven is world famous for its unique brown trout population, and some of our large, deep lochs, such as Loch Awe, are home to the famous 'ferox' trout, attracting specimen anglers from far and wide. Our rivers attract grayling anglers from throughout the UK. Coarse angling is now well established in Scotland, and increasing in popularity.
A recent survey of the economic impact of game and coarse angling in Scotland (see bottom of page for the Technical Report) has revealed what many knew without being able to quantify: angling is important to Scotland's economy, particularly in rural Scotland. Anglers spend annually about £113M. When substitution effects are taken into account, this produces an estimated £100M of output in the Scottish economy, and supports around 2,800 full time job equivalents. These are significant figures, and demonstrate the need for all of us to take the angling sector very seriously. We must remain conscious of the fact that in addition to the owners of the fisheries, many businesses, such as hotels and guest houses, and tackle shops are to a greater or lesser extent dependent upon angling for their continued existence.
Sitting alongside these findings is the recognition that the angling sector in Scotland has great scope for development. Although some salmon beats are let at significant cost, there are many opportunities for salmon anglers to access good quality fishing at very reasonable prices. Many trout lochs in Scotland are lightly fished, and some hardly at all. Coarse fishing attracts anglers who wish not only to enjoy their fishing, but to visit some spectacularly beautiful areas.
Salmon fishing in Scotland is not restricted to angling. There is a long tradition of netting for salmon in Scotland. As with all salmon fishing in Scotland, rights to fish are private, heritable titles that may be bought, sold or leased. The industry is much smaller now than in the past, but still provides employment in rural areas, and provides high quality salmon for a discerning market.
The challenge facing us is to develop fishing for salmon and freshwater fish in Scotland. However, as with the development of any business, a plan is needed. It is essential that steps are taken to ensure that fisheries are developed in such a way as to ensure their sustainability. We want to make sure that future generations of Scots and visitors to Scotland will continue to be able to access and enjoy their fishing. The plan will involve a combination of approaches, including establishment of management structures, the development of codes of best practice, and legislation to underpin these measures where appropriate.
A broad spectrum of stakeholders is necessarily involved in all of this. In the past, most attention has been paid to the needs and aspirations of fishery owners. However, if we are to ensure that access to our fishery resource is optimised, we must take greater account of the desires and aspirations of anglers, angling clubs and, of course, the fish. The Forum seeks to do just that, by involving, for the first time, those people who represent interests whose property, businesses, leisure pursuits, and general interests will be affected by any new policy proposals. This represents a real example of bringing the people into the policy-making process.
Technical Report: The Economic Impact of Game and Coarse Fishing in Scotland
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