Question reference: S5W-23070
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 9 May 2019
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Current status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 May 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported decline in catches of salmon and sea trout is having on the (a) economic value of wild fisheries and (b) economy in rural areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not undertaken any new assessment of the impact of the most recent salmon and sea trout catch statistics. Our most recent assessment comes from a report by economic consultants PACEC, commissioned in 2015 and published in March 2017. This can be found at https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00514801.pdf .
Separately, Scottish Enterprise is currently leading a study with the Tweed, Spey, Tay and Dee rivers to look at both the impact of the decline in salmon numbers and the opportunities that there might be to develop the total fishing offer for the future. I understand this work is progressing well and look forward to seeing the outcomes later in the summer.