Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Official Report 421KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Tweed Regulation (Salmon Conservation) (No 2) Order 2016 (SSI 2016/391)

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The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2016 (SSI/392)

Agenda item 3 is for the committee to consider two Scottish statutory instruments that are subject to negative procedure. Full details on the instruments can be found in paper 3, to which I refer members. I invite members’ comments.

I will comment briefly and highlight issues that the committee might consider putting in writing to the cabinet secretary in order to seek clarification.

My comments are not on the River Tweed SSI—I welcome the positive conservation that is happening there—but on the conservation of salmon instrument. I seek clarification on where we are with the European Union infractions proceedings, which is a matter of concern that came up in the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee in the previous session.

There is still a Scotland-wide decline in salmon numbers. Although I welcome the more localised focus of the science and the data, which has enabled movement on gradings, there are concerns. For example, although the Loch Lomond Association is pleased that it has been moved from grade 3 to grade 2, it highlights that improvements can be made to the method of grading.

There are concerns about fish predation by birds, Is that being considered by Marine Scotland? The impact of salmon farms has also been highlighted to me.

I also raise the issue of the haaf-netters in the Solway Firth, which came up a lot in evidence that we took on the previous SSI—the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016 (SSI 2016/115). A scientific pilot is taking place there, which enables continuation of the haaf-netters’ traditions. They would like to highlight that it would be helpful if we could write to the cabinet secretary to ask whether, in the coming season, evidence gathering could start on 1 May rather than later. Without in any way criticising Marine Scotland and others for what happened before, there were quite a lot of arrangements to be made previously so the netters wanted to highlight that issue. The general result is positive, but the need for a lot more local data gathering should be highlighted to the cabinet secretary.

I am sorry that that was rather a long comment, but I have received quite a lot of information on the issue.

There are two aspects to what Claudia Beamish is saying. First, there is the bigger picture and where we are with that—for example, if the committee is to write to the cabinet secretary, I might seek an update on the latest science on seal predation’s effect on salmon numbers, which came up in the previous session of Parliament. The second aspect is the localised focus that Claudia Beamish highlighted.

Does anybody else wish to comment?

I do not know whether the question is appropriate at this point, but what compensation is there for businesses? Can that be reviewed in respect of banning of killing wild salmon in estuaries as well as rivers?

It is noted in the briefing papers that compensation is being paid to netting interests, for example. Do you want some detail of what is being paid?

Yes, because it would appear that it is based on the weight of fish that have been caught and not the potential return on processing that fish. The real compensation does not match the loss to the businesses that are having their livelihood taken away.

It has to be said that perhaps that is for perfectly valid conservation reasons.

I agree with Finlay Carson. We have obviously been speaking to the same people about compensation and processing.

Do members agree that we will make those points in a letter to the cabinet secretary?

Members indicated agreement.

That being the case, do we also agree that the committee wishes to make no recommendations on the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

At the next meeting of the committee on 10 January, the committee will take evidence from stakeholders on the Scottish Government’s “Wildlife crime in Scotland—2015 Annual Report”, and consider a draft report on the draft budget 2017-18.

11:37 Meeting continued in private until 12:31.