Alan has been the Chief Executive of Fisheries Management Scotland since it was formed in 2017, having previously worked as Policy and Planning Director at the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards.
Alan holds a BSc in Marine and Environmental Biology and a PhD in Marine Physiology from the University of St Andrews. He then worked as a post-doctoral research fellow investigating the interactions between wild and farmed salmonids in Scotland, Ireland and Norway. Following a short spell at SEPA, Alan worked for Scottish Environment LINK, where he campaigned for protection of the marine environment in Scotland. He joined the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards in 2011.
Alan has extensive experience of working with government and agencies at local and national level and was seconded to the Scottish Government for 18 months during the wild fisheries reform process. A key priority for Fisheries Management Scotland is working with the Scottish Government and relevant agencies to press the case for protection and enhancement of Scotland’s native fish, and the habitats on which they depend.
Director of Operations – Brian Davidson
Brian has been the Director of Communications & Administration of Fisheries Management Scotland since it was formed in 2017, having previously held several roles at the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards and Rivers & Fisheries Trusts Scotland.
Brian has over 30 years’ experience working in freshwater fisheries policy and management. Prior to joining the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards, he held several fisheries policy positions with the then Department of Agriculture & Fisheries for Scotland, Scottish Office Agriculture & Fisheries Department and Scottish Executive. He joined the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards in 1999.
Brian’s experience includes working with government and agencies, organisational, project and stakeholder management and helps to co-ordinate the delivery of a number of priorities for Fisheries Management Scotland. These include internal and external communications, salmon and freshwater fisheries enforcement initiatives and raising awareness of issues affecting fish and fisheries. Outside work, Brian is a keen trout and salmon angler, helps manage a fishing beat on the River Tweed and volunteers with a local angling association.
Manager, SFCC (Pitlochry) – Sean Robertson
Sean started out in the Scottish Fisheries Sector in 2017, undertaking a summer placement with the Spey Fishery Board assisting with their summer electrofishing work. Concurrently, he was also completing his MSc at Aberdeen University in Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology and completed a research project with Marine Scotland undertaking a comparison of different transfection methods with Neoparmoeba peruans, the causative agent of amoebic gill disease.
Director For Nature Finance – Paul Sizeland
Paul joined Fisheries Management Scotland in May 2023 from NatureScot where he had been leading NatureScot’s input to the draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and prior to that, managing an EU Life funded programme of 45 biodiversity enhancement projects across central Scotland covering a range of land use types.
Paul’s background is in woodlands and forestry. He holds a BSc in forestry from Aberdeen University and MSc Natural Resources Management from Edinburgh University. He is an experienced natural resources programme and project manager, and policy adviser of 40 years with posts held in the public, volunteer and private sectors in Scotland and for international development agencies covering, biodiversity, woodlands, peatlands, wetlands, green networks, rural development, environmental research, climate change, ecosystem services and human health and wellbeing, through managing national, European and international development projects and programmes.
Paul recognises catchment scale approaches as an ideal and naturally organised economy of scale to address pressures on the freshwater environment through green finance and keen to be working with FMS members and stakeholders across the landowning, land-managing, public and private sectors to make this happen.
Finance & Administration Manager – Jenny McNeill
Jenny completed her HND in Business in 2018, gaining skills and knowledge of key business functions such as Law, Finance and Communications. She has a passion for customer care generated from 15 years in customer focussed roles. She joined us as Administrative Assistant and looks forward to working with the Fisheries Management Scotland team and its members in achieving their collaborative aims.
Jenny is a keen advocate for citizen science, spending the winter months watching humpback whales along the coast of Fife. She assists in projects based in and around the Firth of Forth and the rest of Scotland, revolving around the Scottish Humpback ID catalogue and social media. These projects aim to create awareness of the presence of cetaceans primarily within the Forth estuary, engaging communities through marine surveys, monitoring and recording data and non-invasive tracking and identification such as photography and collaborating with other citizen scientists to gain a greater understanding of the cetaceans in our waters.
Wild Salmon Conservation Manager – Chloe Grant
Chloe joined the Fisheries Management Scotland team in April 2024, having previously worked as a Communications and Advocacy Officer for the Riverwoods initiative at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, on a project developing a pioneering blueprint for river woodland restoration and creation across Scotland. In that role, Chloe facilitated the co-design of a digital hub aimed
to streamline the design, delivery, funding, and monitoring of river woodland projects and inaugurated the Riverwoods Advocacy Working Group where she led on the development of a cohesive strategy and policy positions with partners.
Chloe received her MSc in Strategy and Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh and prior to that worked in Massachusetts as a Campaign Manager and Advisor for political campaigns as well as in communications and development roles for various advocacy organisations, including the Charles River Watershed Association. With a professional background in building stakeholder relations and negotiation, Chloe is looking forward to working with FMS members, Scottish Government, advisory and delivery groups, and national alliances to determine and effectively communicate a path forward for Scotland’s wild fish populations.