In 2006 the Government committed to manage the wild salmon fishery in line with the scientific advice from 2007 in the interests of conservation of stocks. International best practice for the management of North Atlantic Salmon, as advocated by, the International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation requires the adoption of the precautionary approach and the cessation of indiscriminate mixed stock fisheries.
From 2007 onwards, the harvest of salmon, by any means, has been restricted to those stocks of rivers that are meeting their conservation limits. This means there should be no indiscriminate capture of fish. Commercial fishing and recreational angling can continue only on the scientifically identified exploitable surplus. The Government’s primary motivation in aligning the future management of the wild salmon fishery with the scientific advice and the introduction of the appropriate regulations to cease mixed stock fishing is the conservation of the wild salmon stocks.
A suite of conservation measures are introduced for the management of the wild salmon fishery on an annual basis.