The Scottish Salmon Crisis - A Disappearing Legacy

August 19th will mark my 40th year deeply involved with Scottish salmon. I spent two decades as a Ghillie on the Spey, and for the last 20, I've focused on organising salmon fishing holidays and casting courses.

In 2018, another drought year, I returned from Norway to a troubled Spey. Ghillies were extremely worried by the general lack of fish, and seeing the Spey Board and MSS operating on pure guesswork, I decided it was time to take action and in low water conditions made an attempt at counting fish by using divers. My thoughts were, it must be better than nothing! What we saw shocked everyone, but as always, because the answer didn't fit the overall narrative, no one wanted to expand on this. The main reason being, it wasn't their idea. By they, I mean the Spey Fishery Board!

Salmon Fishing in the 1970s and 80s

If, 40 years ago, someone had told me that by now, our Scottish rivers would be commercially barren of salmon – with the River Dee catching fewer than 150 fish by July, and the upper Spey less than 200 by the same date – I'd have thought them mad. Yet, had I been asked the same question 25 years ago, I would have said it was entirely possible.

Around that time, I began trying to warn those in the Spey Fishery Board about the severe problem we face, and were likely to face in the future. I told the then chairman and others, that without the right actions, we'd end up exactly where we are today. Not only were my concerns, and those of many other experienced Ghillies, ignored, but our observations were openly belittled. This dismissal came from board members and others whose opinions were based on short annual visits to the river, echoing biologists who spent little time on the water and, at this time, had no real data on young fish numbers. Our "anecdotal" views, as they were always described, in a belittling tone, were all we had. The bitter irony is that this same "anecdotal" information is now often praised as "citizen science" – but only when it suits their agenda or narrative.

Here's a crucial point that was missed, and the full story of Irony is -  If the Fishery Boards had genuinely listened to Ghillies and actively brought them onto the discussion, they would have presented a strong united front. This collective, local voice would have made them a far more robust and challenging political target for the Scottish Government. Instead, by sidelining local expertise, they inadvertently weakened their own position and made themselves a sitting duck! 

Looking back over the last 25 years fills me with both despair and deep frustration. The shocking lack of "proper" science to truly support and grow our "Salmon Fisheries" across Scotland has given way to Government backed Green issues such as, tree planting and the introduction of Beavers. The decisions, or lack thereof, over the past quarter-century have not put a single extra fish in our rivers. Instead of retiring with pride, "all" those responsible should feel profound shame. Allowing this iconic creature to completely collapse, failing at both practical and political levels, It must be one of the worst examples of sector management in our nation's history. A sector that should have been world-leading is now on its last legs, thanks to total incompetence driven by ego, greed, jealousy, and contempt. The absence of a holistic plan to tackle the known major issues is, frankly, well, almost criminal. 

A significant hurdle to recovery is the Scottish Government's apparent animosity towards the salmon fishing sector. Driven by prejudices toward landowners and fishery boards, whom are often made up of wealthy individuals, frequently from England, the Scottish Government sees them as an easy target. No matter how much evidence is shown to them, sadly, This perception fuels political "jealousy and contempt" preventing genuine help for salmon fishing. Never is this contrast more apparent, than with the culling of deer; Living proof that if "hard management" fits the narrative and political agenda, it's quickly implemented. 

Everyone in the sector knows there's a serious imbalance between predators and salmon. Stupidly, we've let this get completely out of hand, so much so, that in my view, there's no chance of now fixing it. This critical issue needed addressing in the 1990s. We are now completely overwhelmed, meaning that trying anything now would seem pointless. 

Like death and taxes, change is inevitable – Unless, it would seem, you're talking about the management of Scotland's Salmon Fishing! For as long as I remember, the same people have been involved making fishery boards weak easy targets, "Lame Ducks" waiting to be easily picked off by a Scottish Government, "green" with envy, greed, and contempt. The "second Highland Clearances" are already in motion, and the wonderful resource, history, and culture built around wild salmon, grouse and farming, sadly, are part of that process. Who really is to blame???