GAMEKEEPERS have called on ministers to adopt a quota system for wild salmon amid concern about a dip in catches over the last two years.
A new fishing campaign section of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association says catches of wild salmon and sea trout have dropped alarmingly. River ghillies, boatmen, bailiffs and anglers are fearful for an industry worth £113 million and which sustains 2,800 jobs.
The group cites the Marine Conservation Society's recent advice that wild Scottish salmon should no longer be eaten because of its conservation status, claiming Scotland has "no management regime in place to prevent an increase in coastal netting".
Now the new fishing group will try to ensure the Government hears the urgent concerns of river workers and anglers.
It says a record of 92 per cent of all spring salmon were returned to the rivers by anglers through voluntary catch-and-release initiatives in 2013, helping to preserve fragile stocks. However, no such restrictions have been extended to, or embraced by, netsmen, it says.
Spey ghillie Ian Gordon, for the new body, said: "Wild fish need all the help they can get and it is clear lack of action is no longer an option, which is the main reason for this new group.
"The views of professional ghillies and river keepers have been ignored by too many for too long."
But the Salmon Net Fishing Association Of Scotland argues the reduction in salmon was associated with the low water conditions in Scotland's rivers in the last two years. This indicated the salmon were staying out at sea rather than being reduced by netting activities, which had recorded average catches.
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