Salmon Scotland and Fisheries Management Scotland have entered a joint agreement that the industry said is designed to support wild salmon conservation.
Salmon Scotland has agreed to enter a funding scheme that will see salmon companies contribute funds to conservation based on the number of salmon that are part of an escape. Escapes of between one and 50 fish will see a GBP 500 (USD EUR) payment, with payments escalating until any escape with more than 500 fish escaping will see farmers pay GBP 5 (USD EUR) per fish, with a GBP 50,000 (USD EUR) cap.
“This initiative demonstrates the value of constructive engagement between wild fisheries and sectors whose activities can present a pressure on wild salmon,” Fisheries Management Scotland Chief Executive Alan Wells said. “We welcome the opportunity to work directly with the salmon farming industry to develop and deliver a practical, proportionate approach that supports conservation outcomes.”
Salmon Scotland said a new independent company will administer the payment scheme, with members of both the aquaculture and fisheries management sectors governing the new company. Money contributed to the scheme will support projects that are designed to conserve Scotland’s wild Atlantic salmon, which have been in a long-term decline.
“Wild salmon are part of Scotland’s identity, and salmon farmers will continue playing their part in supporting recovery efforts,” Salmon Scotland Chief Executive Stavish Scott said. “This agreement is a practical way to support wild salmon conservation when rare escape incidents occur.”
The agreement also includes caveats that if a serious escape occurs, farmers will fund research to assess whether those escaped fish have bred with the local wild salmon populations, and if there’s evidence of a clear impact on wild salmon, additional financial contributions to wild salmon conservation are to be made over subsequent years on a scaled basis depending on the size of the escape.
“I welcome the leadership shown by Salmon Scotland and Fisheries Management Scotland to deliver positive change, which demonstrates our collective commitment to supporting wild salmon and is an exemplar of what can be achieved by collaborative working to achieve a common goal,” Scotland Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian martin said. “This new initiative will deliver on the ambitions of the Salmon Interactions Working Group to introduce a scheme to ring-fence funds to support conservation and research projects.”
