National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS) 2023: status of juvenile Atlantic salmon and brown trout populations
The National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS) is a statistical survey of freshwater fish populations and the pressures affecting them in Scotland, particularly water quality and genetic introgression. This report presents the latest analysis including data from 2023.
Appendix 4
Table of inter-annual variability in the status (Grades) of salmon and trout fry, parr and the combination of lifestages between NEPS surveys. Data from NEPS 2021 and 2023 were post-stratified to harmonise between years and allow comparison for common regions and sample frames. Strata are ordered from south west to south east. The following abbreviations apply in the column labels for grades: F = fry, P = parr and O = overall with the numeric suffix denoting the sampling year
| Stratum | Species | F18 | F19 | F21 | F23 | P18 | P19 | P21 | P23 | O18 | O19 | O21 | O23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annan | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Nith | Salmon | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Galloway | Salmon | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Ayrshire | Salmon | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Clyde | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Argyll | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Lochaber | Salmon | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| WesterRoss_Skye | Salmon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| OuterHebrides | Salmon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| West_Sutherland | Salmon | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Northern | Salmon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Caithness | Salmon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brora_Helmsdale | Salmon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kyle_Sutherland | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Conon | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Ness | Salmon | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Beauly | Salmon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Nairn_Findhorn_Lossie | Salmon | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Spey | Salmon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Deveron | Salmon | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ugie | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Don | Salmon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dee | Salmon | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Esk | Salmon | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Tay | Salmon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Forth | Salmon | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Tweed | Salmon | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Annan | Trout | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Nith | Trout | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Galloway | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Ayrshire | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Clyde | Trout | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Argyll | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Lochaber | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| WesterRoss_Skye | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| OuterHebrides | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| West_Sutherland | Trout | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Northern | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Caithness | Trout | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brora_Helmsdale | Trout | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Kyle_Sutherland | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Conon | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Ness | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Beauly | Trout | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Nairn_Findhorn_Lossie | Trout | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Spey | Trout | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Deveron | Trout | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Ugie | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Don | Trout | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Dee | Trout | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Esk | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tay | Trout | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Forth | Trout | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tweed | Trout | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Contact
Email: neps@gov.scot