GBP 400,000 (USD 502,387, EUR 445,421) has been committed by the Scottish government and Scottish Crown Estates to fund the continuation of a project that aims to help safeguard the country’s Atlantic salmon.
In 2018, juvenile salmon from more than 800 sites across Scotland’s rivers were surveyed by teams of local biologists and volunteers using a method known as electrofishing. Electrofishing uses equipment with electricity flowing through it to capture, count and measure fish without injuring them.
These surveys contributed to the National Electrofishing Program for Scotland (NEPS), a strategic sampling program designed, managed, analyzed and reported by Marine Scotland Science and delivered by local fisheries management organizations including fisheries trusts and boards.
This is the first time Scotland’s young salmon stocks have been assessed at a national level, providing a fuller picture of Scotland’s overall wild salmon population. Additional funding will secure a second year of the program, enabling the findings’ evidence base to be significantly strengthened and used to inform conservation regulations.
“I am delighted that the ground-breaking National Electrofishing Program for Scotland will continue for a second year as it is establishing a higher level of confidence in our assessment of the status of wild salmon stocks in Scotland’s rivers and ultimately ensuring the species continues to thrive,” said Roseanna Cunningham, Scotland’s environment secretary. “The data gathered during the first year of the program has been the result of significant joint endeavor across the wild fisheries sector and has involved local managers accessing survey sites well off the beaten track in order to obtain a representative sample. I’m extremely grateful for that tremendous local commitment and on-going stakeholder engagement in this key initiative.”
Dr. Alan Wells of representative body Fisheries Management Scotland said that NEPS is an excellent example of partnership working between Marine Scotland and local fishery managers to deliver vital information on the health of salmon stocks.
The new 2019 NEPS report will provide local fisheries managers with valuable information, which will improve the understanding of the status of Atlantic salmon in Scotland, and inform collective efforts to protect and safeguard this “iconic species,” he said.
In 2018 funding for data collection was provided by Marine Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
