Wild Salmon Strategy Science and Evidence Board minutes: November 2024

Attendees and apologies

• John Armstrong – Marine Directorate (Chair)
• Antje Branding – Marine Directorate
• Stuart Middlemas – Marine Directorate
• Steven Dora – Marine Directorate
• Alan Wells – Fisheries Management Scotland
• Lorraine Hawkins – Dee DSFB
• David Summers – Tay DSFB
• James Hunt – Tweed Foundation
• Peter Pollard – SEPA

Apologies

• Colin Bean - NatureScot
• Chris Todd – St Andrews University

Items and actions

Welcome

JA welcomed everyone to the meeting, noted apologies and invited a round of introductions given recent staff changes in marine directorate wild salmon and recreational fisheries team.

Minutes of the previous meeting 

The board agreed the minutes to the previous meeting which took place on 8 August 2024.

Discussion on advice note entitled “draft recovery stocking of atlantic salmon into weak populations” as revised 14 November

This item further progressed the commission from the wild salmon strategy delivery group for the science and evidence board to review the evidence for stocking when populations were at a critically low level. It was noted that the science and evidence board’s brief had been to review the existing science and not undertake new work. 
The science and evidence board discussed the challenges in identifying a threshold for what constituted a “weak population” with evidence cited of salmon populations in the south of England which remained extant in the face of prolonged weak recruitment suggesting that “weak populations” were not always in danger of extirpation.

A paper written by Nigel Milner and Carlos Garcia de Leaniz and the north atlanic salmon conservation organisation guidelines for stocking atlantic salmon were referred to in the discussion. At present it was not clear whether a threshold would in any case be relevant given the reservations over recommendation of stocking.
The science and evidence board discussed the status of the paper when complete and agreed that because it had been commissioned by the delivery group, it would be for the delivery group to consider its placement in the public domain and promotion at the appropriate time.

In summing up, the chair agreed to take some time to reflect on today’s discussion and make any required drafting changes, recirculate to the science and evidence board for sign-off by correspondence before submitting to the delivery group in advance of its next meeting and before the end of the calendar year. 

Large woody debris etc

The science and evidence board discussed how to progress the formulation of advice to the delivery group on the application of large woody debris as a salmon habitat enhancement tool and considered the prospect of convening a one day workshop to feed into a subsequent session with the delivery group. There was a suggestion that this be broadened out to look at a wider suite of restoration activities to understand if there was a potential for harm if not delivered correctly (e.g. through the wrong selection of trees for riparian planting), with a further suggestion that this be further broadened out to consider related pressures such as beaver impacts.   

exercise to harmonise salmon monitoring across the public sector

The chair informed the science and evidence board that marine directorate, scottish environment protection agency and naturescot would soon convene to catalogue the various drivers for monitoring work and ongoing programmes of field work to help ensure a clearer understanding of ongoing monitoring activity across all three organisations and support planning and maximise efficiency.