The Scottish Government has introduced significantly higher penalties for illegal salmon fishing and possession, with fines of up to £10,000 per fish for poaching and up to £40,000 for possession of illegally caught salmon.
The changes were approved at Holyrood last week through amendments to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, strengthening sanctions for wildlife crimes involving fish. For the first time, each illegally caught salmon will be treated as a separate offence for the purposes of sentencing.
Under the new regime, illegal salmon fishing prosecuted summarily in the sheriff court will carry a statutory maximum fine of £10,000 per fish. Possession of salmon that have been illegally taken, killed or landed can now result in fines of up to £40,000, extending liability beyond poachers to buyers, amateur cooks and food businesses.
The Scottish Government said the measures reflect the increasingly fragile state of wild Atlantic salmon stocks. In almost three-quarters of Scotland’s salmon rivers, stocks are now so low that mandatory catch-and-release rules are in force, making it illegal to retain any fish caught.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon said the penalties were designed to reflect the seriousness of fish poaching as a wildlife crime and to support efforts to protect and restore salmon populations, which she described as being at crisis levels.
The changes were introduced following recommendations from Fisheries Management Scotland, which represents river and fishery managers across the country. Its enforcement committee has warned that illegal fishing poses a significant risk to already depleted stocks.
According to the group, catches of wild Atlantic salmon are at their lowest levels since records began in 1952, with populations in Scotland now classified as being in a critical state. Atlantic salmon is currently listed as endangered in the UK.
Police Scotland’s wildlife crime unit has previously described salmon poaching as the most prevalent wildlife crime in Scotland. Detective Sergeant David Lynn, Wildlife Crime Coordinator at Police Scotland, said tougher penalties were necessary to deter illegal activity and encouraged the public to report suspicious behaviour around rivers and lochs.
The Scottish Government said the revised penalty framework is intended to ensure that enforcement measures better reflect the ecological impact of illegal salmon exploitation, particularly the loss of individual breeding fish.
