PROPOSED CONSERVATION
MEASURES TO INTRODUCE A
LICENSING SYSTEM FOR KILLING
WILD SALMON IN SCOTLAND
STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY
APRIL 2015


Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
Environmental Assessment Team
Planning and Architecture Division
Directorate for Local Government and Communities
Scottish Government
2 April 2015
2
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
Introduction
1. Scottish Ministers are currently consulting on proposed conservation measures
to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland.
What is Strategic Environmental Assessment?
2. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) identifies the likely significant
environmental impacts of plans and policies, and alternatives to them. Taking place
at an early stage in the plan or policy preparation process, it ensures that decisionmaking is informed by relevant environmental information. SEA provides
opportunities for the public to consider this information and use it to inform their
views on a draft plan or policy.
3. This report summarises the findings from the SEA of the proposed conservation
measures. This is required by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005
because the proposed measures have the potential to give rise to significant
environmental effects. Screening and scoping were carried out in December 2014.
What are the proposed conservation measures?
4. Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) is a protected species under Council
Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive). The report of the independent Review
of Wild Fisheries (WFR) , published in October 2014, recommended that Scottish
Ministers take immediate action to conserve wild salmon.
5. A consultation document was published on 6 February 2015, seeking views on
proposed conservation measures. These comprise:



Prohibiting the taking of wild salmon – by any method – except under licence
from Scottish Ministers.
Specifying the equipment which would be prohibited when fishing by rod and
line.
The use of carcass tagging as a tool to ensure compliance with the licensing
regime.
6. The measures will be delivered by secondary legislation.
How was the SEA undertaken?
7. A series of key questions (‘strategic environmental assessment objectives’) is
used to structure this strategic-level appraisal. Information about the existing marine
and freshwater environment has been used to inform the appraisal and define these
appraisal objectives. The appraisal identifies the positive and negative effects of the
proposed measures on biodiversity, flora and fauna; the ecological status of water
bodies; and material assets. The significant impacts are described in detail in the
Environmental Report. Social and economic effects will be assessed by a Business
and Regulatory Impact Assessment that will accompany the secondary legislation
when it is laid in the Scottish Parliament.
Which reasonable alternatives have been assessed?
8. A potential alternative could be to only protect the most vulnerable stock, i.e.
spring stocks. However, this would protect spring salmon only during the first
months that they enter into the river. It would not act to protect other stocks or spring
2 April 2015
i
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
salmon later in the year. This alternative would not achieve the policy aims and has
been discounted as not being reasonable. No other potential reasonable
alternatives were identified during the SEA.
Figure NTS1. Distribution of Atlantic salmon in Scottish rivers1
What is the current state of the environment?
Atlantic salmon
9. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) live in fresh water as juveniles and migrate to sea
before returning to spawn in fresh water as adults. There are 398 rivers supporting
salmon in Scotland (Figure NTS1). Their life cycle is illustrated in Figure NTS2.
10. In fresh water, salmon require good water quality, gravel for spawning, coarse
boulder/ cobble/ pebble substrates for fry and parr, an abundant supply of
invertebrate prey, and unimpeded access to and from the sea. In the sea they need
nutrient-rich cold water with abundant food supplies (plankton, squid, and small fish).
1
Source: Malcolm et al (2010), p 3.
2 April 2015
ii
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
Figure NTS2. Atlantic salmon life cycle 2 3
post-smolts (from April/
May until 1 sea winter)
adult salmon (after
1 sea winter)
grilse: 1 sea winter
return May-September
feeding
migration
multi-sea winter salmon:
2-3-4 sea winters
return throughout the year
enter the sea
April/May
MARINE
FRESH
WATER
parr reach 12-24 cm  smolts
parr grow for up to 4 years
after ~ 1 year,
fry reach 5-8 cm  parr
alevins emerge from riverbed gravels
4-6 weeks after hatching
2
3
some survive
spawning and return
to sea to spawn
again
eggs hatch in early spring
spawning from mid-October to late February
after NASCO (http://www.nasco.int/atlanticsalmon.html); illustration credited to Atlantic Salmon Trust and Robin Ade
Information taken from Atlantic Salmon Trust (http://www.atlanticsalmontrust.org/learning-zone/index.html), SNH and Robertson (2013).
2 April 2015
iii
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
11. Atlantic salmon are protected by international, European and Scottish policy.
One example is the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic
Ocean (1982), which established the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation
Organization (NASCO), and seeks to promote the conservation, restoration,
enhancement and rational management of salmon stocks through international
consultation and cooperation, taking into account the best scientific evidence
available. At European level, there are 17 Special Areas of Conservation for Atlantic
salmon in Scotland (Figure NTS3). They are also a priority marine feature in
Scottish territorial waters, which covers the marine part of their life cycle. (The
Environmental Report has more information about the protection of salmon.)
Figure NTS3. Locations of SACs designated for Atlantic Salmon4
12. The abundance of wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Scotland is estimated from
information about reported catches (from both rod and net fisheries), as well as
information from fish counters and fish traps. This information shows that the
reported catch by the net fisheries has declined steadily since 1952 (Figure NTS4).
In contrast, the catch by the rod fisheries shows an overall increase over the same
period. This is thought to be due to an increase in the number of fish entering rivers,
as a result of the decreased catch and effort by marine fisheries in Greenland and
the Faroe Islands, and by the net fisheries along the coast of Scotland. It is worth
remembering that these are national figures: the status of stocks in individual
catchments, for example, may be different
4
Source: Malcolm et al (2010), p.4.
2 April 2015
iv
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
13. Between 1952 and 1980, the net fisheries took most of the catch. By the late
1980s, the total catch was divided relatively evenly between the three fishing
methods. After this the rod and line fishery has taken the largest share of the catch.
Figure NTS4. Annual reported catch of salmon (caught and retained) in
Scotland, 1952-2008, by method5
14. Scottish salmon stocks are generally described as spring, summer and autumn
stocks. Spring stocks have been in decline since 1952. Numbers appear to have
stabilised in the last two decades, although at an historically low level. Summer and
autumn stocks have increased (Figure NTS5).
Figure NTS5. Trends in catch by stock component (rod and line)
Freshwater pearl mussels
15. Freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) live at the bottom of clean
fast-flowing rivers, partially or completely buried in coarse sand or fine gravel
sediments. They require clean, cool and well-oxygenated soft water. The presence
5
Source: Crawley (2010), p. 33.
2 April 2015
v
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
of young salmon or trout is also an important factor in their early development: as
larvae they attach themselves to fish gills, where they grow in the oxygen-filled
environment that these provide. After about a year, they detach to live in the river
bed, where they continue to grow to adulthood (a period of about 12 years).
16. Freshwater pearl mussels are a critically endangered species. In Scotland there
has been a significant decline in the number of rivers that support them. Population
declines have been linked to factors such as pearl-fishing, pollution, acidification,
organic enrichment, siltation, river engineering, and declining salmonid stocks
17. Freshwater pearl mussels are protected by the Habitats Directive, and there are
19 Special Areas of Conservation for them in Scotland. Seven of these overlap with
SACs for salmon.
Other species
18. Other species, such as lamprey, share habitat with Atlantic salmon and trout.
Several river SACs are designated for both Atlantic salmon and Lamprey (i.e. one or
more of Brook, River or Sea lamprey). Bycatch of lamprey in salmon fishing nets
has not been reported as an issue.
Water
19. Many of Scotland’s surface waters are in a good or excellent condition. Targets
were set in the 2009 River Basin Management Plans to reduce pollution; reinstate
fish passage where there are man-made barriers to migration; restore damaged
habitats; and mitigate the over-abstraction of water. Work to meet these targets is
on-going.
Table NTS1. Ecological status/potential of surface water bodies in Scotland
Status parameter
water quality
water flows and levels
physical condition of beds, banks and
shores
fish passage
protection from invasive non-native
species
overall status
Ecological status/potential of
surface water bodies (%)
high/good
moderate poor/bad
83
15
2
87
11
2
84
9
7
85
99
4
1
11
0
62
22
16
20. Changes to physical habitat, barriers to fish migration and reductions in flow are
all key pressures for salmon. For example, 12% of water bodies in Scotland are
considered to be at less than good ecological status/potential because of barriers to
fish migration.
Material Assets
21. Salmon fishing, both netting and angling, rely on the quality and resources of the
natural environment for their economic activity. Salmon is mostly fished in Scotland
by three methods:


angling by road and line, mostly in inland waters;
net and coble (a kind of boat) in inland and coastal waters; and
2 April 2015
vi
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary

fixed engines in coastal waters, e.g. bag and stake nets.
22. Salmon fishing rights are private heritable titles. While the right to fish is held as
personal property, the fish themselves belong to no-one until they are caught. It is a
criminal offence to fish for salmon without the legal right or written permission from
the owner of the right.
23. Catch and fishing effort in the net fisheries has progressively declined since
1952, particularly since the 1980s, and is currently at historically low levels. At one
time net fisheries operated around much of Scotland’s coast, but now are fishing in
the areas shown in Figures NTS6 and NTS7.
Figure NTS6. Active Coastal Net Fisheries (2013)
Figure NTS7. Active Net and Coble Fisheries (2013)
24. Rod catch, in contrast to the net fisheries, has remained relatively stable and
now comprises the greatest proportion of the catch (Figure NTS4).
25. It is difficult to provide an overview of the economic value of the combined
commercial and recreational salmon fishing industry, as there are significant gaps in
the data. Data from 2004 indicate that coarse and game angling in Scotland resulted
2 April 2015
vii
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
in the Scottish economy producing (after displacement) over £100 million worth of
annual output, which supported around 2,800 jobs and generated nearly £50 million
in wages and self-employment income to Scottish households, many of them in rural
areas.
26. Salmon fishing involves other sectors, e.g. in the fishery supply chain such as
fish processing plants, smokeries, etc., and those that service these sectors such as
fishing gear suppliers (i.e. net, rod and bait suppliers).
27. Atlantic salmon is a cultural icon throughout its North Atlantic range. This is
reflected in the symbology of salmon in Scotland (e.g. through place names,
carvings on standing stones, etc) and in the value placed on it by the people in
Scotland6. Salmon fishing has been a traditional activity in Scotland, probably since
before records began, and salmon has been a key item of trade with mainland
Europe, England and elsewhere since at least the 13th century.
Existing Environmental Problems
28. There are many pressures on Atlantic salmon. Some are natural and some are
the result of human activities. These are summarised in Figure NTS8.
Figure NTS8. Potential risks for wild Atlantic salmon
6
according to a survey undertaken on behalf of SNH.
2 April 2015
viii
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
What are the likely significant environmental effects of the
proposed conservation measures?
29. This SEA has undertaken a high-level assessment of the proposed measures. A
summary is provided in the following paragraphs.
Will the proposed conservation measures safeguard aquatic ecosystems, including
species and habitats, and their interactions?
30. The proposal to prohibit the killing of salmon, except under licence, would act to
remove the pressure of exploitation by the salmon fishing industry, unless it can be
demonstrated that such exploitation is undertaken on a sustainable basis and does
not present a threat to vulnerable stocks.
31. The proposal to prohibit the killing of salmon except under licence would act to
reduce the risk of rivers failing to reach their conservation limits, and hence ensure
the sustainable exploitation of salmon in Scotland.
32. The proposed measures around gear are intended to increase the survival rate
of salmon caught using catch and release strategies, and would therefore be positive
overall.
33. The measures proposing to introduce a carcass tagging scheme are procedural
in nature, but would assist in compliance with the regulatory regime.
34. The decline in freshwater pearl mussel populations appears to be linked to the
decline in salmon populations in fresh water. Although this is not the major factor
influencing these mussel populations, these proposed measures could have benefits
for freshwater pearl mussel, by providing opportunities for distribution and
reproduction.
Will the proposed conservation measures maintain or work towards good ecological
status?
35. Scotland has a responsibility to achieve good ecological status under the Water
Framework directive. Juvenile salmonids provide one aspect of this determination.
Protection of stocks could positively influence ecological status, but this would not
necessarily reflect changes to watercourses effected by River Basin Management
Plan programmes. The effect of the proposed conservation measures is therefore
considered to be neutral.
Will the proposed conservation measures maintain the environmental quality and
resources which support economic activities?
36. In the long-term, anticipated benefits to the Scottish salmon population could
have benefits for the salmon fishing industry, by improving sustainability of the
species (the material asset) and therefore long-term sustainability of the industry.
37. It is not considered that short-term dis-benefits would adversely affect the
cultural heritage aspects of the salmon fishing industry. Indeed, the long-term
benefits (i.e. the sustainability of the industry) would outweigh the short-term disbenefits by ensuring that traditional activities continue into the future. The iconic
status of the salmon would also be more likely to be secured.
38. The Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment will assess the potential
socio-economic effects of the proposed conservation measures.
2 April 2015
ix
Proposed conservation measures to introduce a licensing system for killing wild salmon in Scotland
Environmental Report: Non-Technical Summary
What are the likely combined effects of the proposed
conservation measures with other plans, when viewed
together?
39. The cumulative effects of the proposed conservation measures and other plans,
programmes and policies would act to reduce the pressure of exploitation by the
salmon fishing industry, unless it can be demonstrated that such exploitation is
undertaken on a sustainable basis and does not present a threat to vulnerable
stocks. Together they would reduce the risk of rivers failing to reach their
conservation limits, and hence ensure the sustainable exploitation of salmon in
Scotland.
What happens next?
40. The consultation on the proposed conservation measures and the accompanying
Environmental Report is now open, and will close on 30 April 2015. Views on the
Environmental Report, and the proposed conservation measures, are invited.
41. Following the consultation period, the responses received will be analysed, and
the findings from this analysis will be taken into account in the finalisation of the
proposed conservation measures. Once these have been adopted, i.e. through
legislation, a Post-Adoption Statement will be prepared, explaining how issues raised
in the SEA, and associated views in response to the consultation, have been
addressed.
How do I respond to the consultation?
42. Copies of the consultation documents and the Environmental Report are
available for viewing during office hours at the Scottish Government library at
Saughton House, Edinburgh (K Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive,
Edinburgh, EH11 3XD).
43. Please send your response, by 30 April 2015, to:
By email to
salmonandrecreationalfisheries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or
By post, to:
Jackie McDonald
Scottish Government
Area 1-B North
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh EH6 6QQ
44. If you have any queries or require further information about the consultation
please contact Valerie Lusk on 0131 244 6236 or
salmonandrecreationalfisheries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
2 April 2015
x