Scottish fishermen are being invited to return any salmon caught over the coming months, in an attempt to try to preserve dropping stocks.
Scottish fishermen are being invited to return any salmon caught over the coming months, in an attempt to try to preserve dropping stocks.
A request has been issued by the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards (ASFB) to anglers asking that further measures are taken to make sure enough fish survive to spawn later in the year.
One of the worst affected rivers is the River Tweed, which catches more Atlantic salmon than any other river in the European Union.
Hugh Campbell Adamson, Chairman of ASFB, said: "The scarcity of spring salmon so far this season appears to be a cause for serious concern and the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards has a responsibility to act swiftly on a precautionary basis.
"The great majority of our rivers already have robust spring conservation policies with 70% or more of salmon being released back into the water by anglers each year.
"There is now a strong case for 100% catch and release to cover the remainder of the spring run and we would urge boards and anglers on all rivers to ensure maximum restraint over the next two months - and for sea trout over the remainder of this season - so that as many of our valuable spring salmon have the opportunity to spawn later in the year."
The ASFB has also requested that members of the Salmon Net Fishing Association of Scotland do not start fishing until the end of June.
Andrew Wallace, managing director of ASFB, added: "After several years of modest improvements in spring runs and catches, due in no small part to restraint shown by anglers and netsmen, it is most disappointing that this year's run appears to have been so poor.
"It suggests that the recovery is fragile and hence the need for special measures to be adopted immediately. There can be little doubt that marine survival of this year's spring salmon has been particularly poor.
"In addition to spring salmon, sea trout numbers are also in significant decline and any exploitation by both anglers and netsmen should be minimised.
"We hope that this is a temporary setback to what has been a more encouraging trend in recent years, but it is vital that boards demonstrate an effective responsiveness to problems when they emerge.
"This will only be possible with the help of anglers and netsmen, who we hope will support these voluntary but nevertheless important measures.
"We will also be looking at conservation measures that may be required in the autumn when spring fish reappear in catches".
Salmon fishing has been steadily increasing over the past three years, with more than 97,000 caught in Scotland in 2007, 61% of which were released. Prior to 2007, 90,000 had only been exceeded twice in the last half-century (96,488 in 1988 and 92,918 in 2004).
Nick Yonge, clerk to The River Tweed Commission, said: "We support the ASFB in its promotion of a highly precautionary approach to this year's spring salmon run.
"Something has clearly happened at sea to upset this very fragile component of the Scottish salmon stock and the commission has already written to all Tweed beats urging them to spare as many spring caught fish as possible."
He added: Tweed has operated at two thirds of its spring catch being released in recent years and this has given it a run which is just large enough to provide enough spawning fish to sustain the spring stock; the catches so far indicate a much smaller stock of returning fish, so a much greater level of released fish is required to maintain it in 2009."
The Tweed Commission are hopeful that over the coming months anglers will adhere to the warnings given by the ASFB, allowing stock levels to return to normal for next season.
