Wild Salmon Strategy Science and Evidence Board minutes: August 2024

Attendees and apologies

• John Armstrong, Marine Directorate (Chair)
• Lyndsay Christie, Marine Directorate
• Antje Branding, Marine Directorate
• Alan Wells, Fisheries Management Scotland
• Colin Bean, NatureScot
• Melanie Smith, Atlantic Salmon Trust
• Lorraine Hawkins, Dee DSFB
• David Summers, Tay DSFB
• James Hunt, Tweed Foundation
• Stuart Middlemas, Marine Directorate
• Chris Todd, St Andrews University
• Peter Pollard, Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Items and actions

Welcome

JA welcomed science and evidence board members to the meeting. Comments on papers circulated in advance of the meeting had been received from all but one member and they were thanked for their thoughtful responses.

The meeting time was extended to allow for more detailed discussion with the aim of agreeing positions to enable finalisation of documents for consideration by the wild salmon strategy implementation plan delivery group.

Current stocking policy

AB set out the work being undertaken by the science and evidence board to consider how stocking in critically low populations will complement the current stocking policy.

Once recommendations for critically low populations are considered by the delivery board and ministers and a final position is reached, the current stocking policy for rivers dealt with by Scottish Ministers (where there is no District Salmon Fisheries Board) will be redrafted to include this work and will include clear definitions of the different stocking methods.

River garry stocking

DS gave an overview of the stocking project which has been undertaken on the river Garry. Preliminary results suggest the project may have contributed to a self-sustaining population of salmon following re-watering of the tributary by modification of hydro diversions. 

• action point 1 - a report is expected to be published soon and will be shared with science and evidence board members when available.
• There was discussion by science and evidence board members on whether examples were available of cases where intervention through restoration stocking programmes had generated self-sustaining salmon populations
• action point 2 - board members to further consider successful examples from united kingdom and wider and feedback to the group

Marine survival

The group considered stocking in relation to population adaptations to changes in the marine environment.

There are many unknowns with regard to marine survival but some evidence that salmon can adapt to changing conditions – in warmer years there is evidence fish migrate further North. Furthermore, even when average condition of returning salmon has fallen, some individuals continue to return in good condition, suggesting that there is potential for good marine growth in some areas, and potential for population response to changes at sea.

The position was reinforced that it is important that all other pressures in fresh water are addressed where possible and size and condition of emigrating smolts is enhanced. Fisheries managers do not have the tools to address all such pressures and continued action needs to be taken by relevant organisations and public bodies to tackle some pressures e.g. barrier removal.

Gene banking

The group discussed whether gene banking has a role to play. It was considered how application of gene banking relates to objectives of stocking and a hands-off approach of allowing natural meta-population responses to environment change.

Thresholds for intervention

The group discussed pros and cons of using different potential thresholds to assess at what point a population is sufficiently weak that stocking action might be appropriate. 

Scottish code for translocations

There was also discussion of aligning decisions on stocking with Scottish Code for Translocations, as advocated by the Atlantic Salmon Trust (MS).

Summary documents

There was detailed discussion of draft documents, circulated to board members in advance of the meeting, setting out recommendations for different types of stocking including egg redistribution, fry redistribution, kelt reconditioning and smolt to adult supplementation.

Next steps

• action points 3 and 4 - the positions agreed at the meeting will be captured in a draft final version, ideally for sign-off by correspondence, and then submission to the Delivery Board. (JA, LC).

The delivery group have been asked to identify priority areas for the science and evidence board to consider once the stocking work is complete and these will be adopted into a planning process with on-going topics being addressed.