Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan: annual progress report 2025

Conclusion

All actions in the Scottish Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan have now commenced and a number have been completed. As the programme passes its halfway mark, coordination continues to strengthen and the programme is increasingly supported by quantitative evidence of progress, which is important in helping to identify any risks to delivery across the remainder of the programme. Despite this progress, wild salmon populations have continued to decline, emphasising the need to further improve our understanding of effective management and restoration options, working both within and outside of national jurisdictions.

Climate change and poor marine survival remain substantial large-scale pressures across the North Atlantic. These are difficult to address by national governments. Consequently, the Implementation Plan has largely focused on addressing issues where national and local action can make a practical and meaningful difference. This includes improving freshwater habitat and connectivity, reducing avoidable mortality, maintaining genetic integrity and diversity of wild populations, strengthening monitoring, and supporting evidence-led management so that more wild salmon have the best possible chance of surviving to return to Scotland’s rivers. National measures continue to be complimented by international collaboration where there is a greater chance of addressing pressures in the marine environment.