Fisheries management requires a robust evidence base. Fisheries Management Scotland work alongside our members to monitor wild fish and develop a consistent approach to understanding the impacts of pressures Scotland’s wild fish face. One such pressure is salmon farming, where interactions between farmed and wild fish are highly complex, difficult to quantify and vary substantially between different areas.

Data collected by Fisheries Management Scotland Members
Fishery Trusts monitor juvenile sea trout on an annual basis to record the infestation pressure of sea lice. This work is funded by Marine Scotland and Crown Estate Scotland, and we are grateful for their continuing support. The reports and data arising from this work can be viewed below.

Wild fish monitoring data – 2023
Wild fish monitoring data – 2022
Wild fish monitoring data – 2021
(No 2020 data due to COVID-19)
Wild fish monitoring data – 2019
Wild fish monitoring data – 2018
Report on 2017 wild fish monitoring – 2018
Wild fish monitoring data – 2017
Wild fish monitoring data – 2016
Wild fish monitoring (RAFTS Report) – 2015
Wild fish monitoring (RAFTS Report) – 2014
Genetic Tool Development Report (RAFTS) – 2013
Wild fish monitoring (RAFTS Report) – 2013
Wild fish monitoring (RAFTS Report) – 2012
Wild fish monitoring (RAFTS Report) – 2011

Fisheries Management Scotland Reports
The reports below highlight some of the findings from the above data collected via our members, and summarises the results of any specific monitoring projects.
Wild Fish Monitoring Workshop: Report (2021)
Monitoring for farmed salmon following an escape from the Carradale North salmon farm (2021)
Fixed Net Deployment – Standard Operating Procedure (2020)
Developing wild fish monitoring techniques – a report to Crown Estate Scotland (2020)

Scottish Government and Parliamentary Reports
Scottish Government: Response to the Salmon Interactions Working Group Recommendations (2021)
Marine Scotland: A national assessment of the influence of farmed salmon escapes on the genetic integrity of wild Scottish Atlantic salmon populations (2021)
Marine Scotland: Summary of science regarding the impacts of lice from fish farms on wild Scottish sea trout and salmon (2021)
Scottish Government: Scotland’s 10 year farmed fish health framework (2018)
Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee: Report on salmon farming in Scotland (2018)
Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee: Report on the environmental impacts of salmon farming (2018)

Fisheries Management Scotland Consultation responses can be found on our Publications page.