Salmon fishing: proposed river gradings for 2026 season

Proposed conservation status

You may also check the proposed 2026 grading for individual rivers, or more detailed information for any of the rivers

The overall position, and the net effect of the various changes is summarised in the table below:

The detailed changes for the coming year are:

Conservation status has improved for eight stocks compared to the previous year, including five stocks which will no longer require mandatory catch and release. These are:

• Dunbeath Water
• Kinloch River
• Loch Steisavat
• River Clyde
• River Morar

Conservation status has declined in four stocks compared to the previous year, including two stocks which will become mandatory catch and release fisheries in 2026. These are:

• Laxadale Lochs
• River Etive

As in previous years, we propose that River Leven (Dunbartonshire), assessed as being in good conservation status, should be awarded poor conservation status to reflect the lower grading of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in the catchment – Endrick Water.

We propose that River Ness, assessed as being in good conservation status, should be treated as moderate conservation status to reflect the lower grading of an SAC in the catchment - River Moriston SAC.

The River Teith SAC is assessed as being in good conservation status, while the Forth is in moderate conservation status. However, the situation is complicated by the overlap between the areas (the Teith SAC extends into the River Forth) and we again propose that we should use the lower of the two statuses for both areas, as we did for 2024 and 2025.

Proposed regulations

The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016, as amended, set out the regime for the regulation of salmon fishing in Scotland. In general terms the regulations:

• prohibit the retention of salmon caught in coastal waters
• permit the killing of salmon within inland waters where stocks are above a defined conservation limit – i.e. those rivers accorded good or moderate conservation status for the fishing season
• require mandatory catch and release of salmon in areas which are below their defined conservation limit following the assessment of salmon stocks – i.e. those rivers accorded poor conservation status for the season

For the 2026 season, the Scottish Government will bring forward amending regulations which will replace the current Schedule 2. This schedule details the specific inland waters which are subject to the prohibition on retaining salmon.

No other changes are currently proposed for the 2026 season river gradings.

River Tweed

Separate legislation and arrangements are in place for the management of salmon and freshwater fisheries in the River Tweed district. The Tweed Regulation (Salmon Conservation) (No. 2) Order 2016 (“the Tweed No. 2 Order”) came into force on 1 April 2017 and made provision to regulate the taking of salmon in the district. In effect the Tweed No. 2 Order:

• prohibits the retention of salmon caught in the coastal waters in the Tweed district
• allows the retention of salmon caught in the Tweed and all inland waters in the district as defined in article 2(1)(a) of the Tweed No. 2 Order

The outcome of the conservation assessment for the Tweed for the 2026 season again accords the river good conservation status. In light of this, the Scottish Government does not propose to amend the legislation, and the Tweed No. 2 Order will remain in force.