Scotland expands juvenile salmon monitoring as pressure grows on coastal aquaculture.
The Scottish Government quietly updated its National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland (NEPS) webpage on 12 June 2025, adding a reference to the 2023 report. While the change itself is minor, the programme it relates to is becoming increasingly relevant — particularly for the aquaculture industry.
NEPS is a long-running initiative to monitor juvenile Atlantic salmon in rivers across Scotland using electrofishing — a technique where fish are temporarily stunned by mild electrical current, counted, and released. The goal is to build a consistent, national picture of how wild salmon are faring in freshwater systems.
Until now, adult salmon returns have been the main data used to assess conservation status under the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016. But the development of a parallel juvenile assessment method is gaining traction — and it matters.
One of the main ways that aquaculture’s environmental impact is likely to be regulated in future is through its effect on wild salmonids. NEPS data could increasingly be used to inform decisions on licensing, site selection, or even operational restrictions.
The updated webpage itself offers little fanfare — just a new reference in the list of reports — but for those watching the regulatory landscape, it’s a reminder that data on wild fish are quietly becoming more central to policy.