Atlantic salmon stocks statistics: EIR release

Information requested

You asked for “Marine Scotland publishes annual estimates of total Atlantic Salmon returners and spawner numbers in Scotland as a time series.

I would be grateful if the corresponding estimated annual percentages of aggregate spawner numbers by sea age class viz.1 SW or MSW for the period 1995 to 2025 could be supplied.”

Response

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because it does not produce spawner estimates by sea age.

This exception is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about estimates of spawning salmon in Scotland split by sea age, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

Additional information provided outwith the EIRs

Under regulation 9 of the EIRs (our duty to provide advice and assistance), I can provide some other information relevant to this request.

Marine Directorate provides information on Atlantic salmon stocks in Scotland to the ICES Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon (WGNAS) each year to allow that group to undertake international stock assessments and provide advice on Atlantic salmon stocks to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation.

The WGNAS estimates spawners by sea age as part of its stock assessment process. The best available information relevant to your request is published for UK (Scotland) in the following publicly accessible Tables of the 2024 report (https://iceslibrary.figshare.com/articles/report/Working_Group_on_North_Atlantic_Salmon_WGNAS_/25730247? file=46176438). Please note these estimates will change from year-to-year as input data and
assessment methods may be updated.

• Table 3.3.4.7 - 1SW spawners in S-NEAC countries
•  Table 3.3.4.8 - MSW spawners in S-NEAC countries

Please bear in mind that the methods for stock assessment at the WGNAS are slightly different to those used for domestic fisheries management in Scotland, which may result in different estimates of total spawners in some years. Updated estimates season will be available in May 2026 when the next ICES WGNAS report will be published.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.