Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan: annual progress report 2025
The third annual progress report under the Scottish wild salmon strategy implementation plan covering progress in 2025.
Theme 6: Building an evidence base through coordinated scientific research and monitoring (8 actions)
Dashboard Snapshot
5 continuous management actions (i.e. no identified end point)
1 completed during the 2024 report’s timeframe
2 actions in progress
Headline Impact
- Continued operation of the Science and Evidence Board
- Expansion of monitoring programmes, including fish counters and sampling
- Development of AI-supported tools for data processing
Key Achievements
- Strengthened coordination of scientific advice and monitoring activity
- Improved capacity for data collection and analysis
Work continued throughout 2025 to continue building an evidence base of monitoring and scientific research, including regular monitoring of returning adults to obtain information for stock assessment.
A report on a fish counter network for monitoring Scottish salmon stocks was published, a new counter was installed on the river Creed funded by Marine Fund Scotland and partnerships continued to provide fish counts from rivers Deveron, Laxford and Helmsdale. The Marine Fund Scotland also funded projects to develop AI-based tools to aid in processing fish counter information.
The Science and Evidence Board met during 2025 to provide advice on priority evidence questions, including recovery stocking, bird and seal predation, and the effects of beaver dams on Atlantic salmon. This advice will help inform future policy and management consideration: recovery stocking advice will contribute to the Scottish Government’s review of stocking policy; predation advice will support further consideration of licensing and mitigation issues; and beaver advice will be available to inform ongoing work on beaver dam management.
Progress was made towards commissioning an analysis of the environmental and socio-economic benefits arising from healthy wild salmon populations. Following receipt of a scoping report from FMS, Scottish Government officials engaged with analytical and natural capital policy colleagues to refine the scope, purpose and methodology of the proposed research, including how best to capture wider ecosystem, cultural, wellbeing and existence values.