Salmon fishing: proposed river gradings for 2026 season

We sought views on the proposed river gradings for the 2026 salmon fishing season. The consultation opened on the 6 August 2025 and closed on the 7 September 2025.

There were 40 respondents to the consultation who had interests in rivers and freshwater systems across Scotland, including from regional and national fisheries management organisations. A quarter of respondents (23%) agreed with the proposed river gradings for the 2026 salmon fishing season while a third, 33% objected to them. Many of those who rejected the river gradings appeared to do so due to their views on the assessment method, or their concern that rivers of interest to them were incorrectly graded.

Some (40%) of respondents expressed views urging for action to be focused on other pressures that they felt needed to be taken now in order to better protect salmon populations. Additionally, 20% of respondents indicated that they felt a 100% catch and release policy would be more effective in protecting and restoring wild salmon populations.

The views given on the proposed river gradings have been used to inform the process of finalising the gradings for the 2026 salmon fishing season. These will be used in the annual amendment to The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016.

The Wild Salmon Strategy and accompanying Implementation Plan provide the overarching framework which will guide the actions to be taken by the Scottish Government and other public bodies, together with the business and charitable sectors to further the protection and recovery of Scottish Atlantic wild salmon populations over the next three years from 2025 to 2028. Actions that have already taken place during the first two years of the plan were published in our Progress Report 2023-2024 and Progress Report 2024-2025 respectively.

The broad range of actions outlined in the plan will help to reduce the impact of pressures identified by respondents as having an impact on wild salmon populations, such as removing or easing barriers to migration. The Wild Salmon Strategy is one component of the Scottish Government’s ambition to protect and restore Scotland's natural environment as outlined in the Environment Strategy for Scotland and the Biodiversity strategy to 2045: tackling the nature emergency.

The Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan Delivery Group, bringing together the organisations that will deliver the actions set out in the Implementation Plan, has the role of overseeing and directing delivery of the Strategy and Implementation Plan.