The Value of Wild Salmon in Scotland

Description

The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate invites a tender submission for a research project being commissioned titled ‘The Value of Wild Salmon in Scotland’. This work will provide robust estimates of the social, and economic contribution of salmon fishing, and the presence of salmon, in Scotland, as well as the ecosystem service benefits provided by these fish. The approach is expected to involve traditional economic analysis as well as natural capital and social research methods. The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate invites a tender submission for a research project being commissioned titled ‘The Value of Wild Salmon in Scotland’. This work will provide robust estimates of the social, and economic contribution of salmon fishing, and the presence of salmon, in Scotland, as well as the ecosystem service benefits provided by these fish. The approach is expected to involve traditional economic analysis as well as natural capital and social research methods. Wild Atlantic salmon (herein after referred to as salmon) are an iconic species, a key component of Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, and are the foundation for globally renowned recreational fisheries. However, the number of salmon returning to Scottish rivers has been in decline since the early 1970s; a trend that is repeated across the species’ North Atlantic distribution. Accordingly, they are now the focus of widespread, coordinated actions and interventions, to ensure their protection and recovery. Salmon have been at the forefront of recent Scottish Government policies, but it is recognised that there are other freshwater and migratory fish species of importance for recreational fishing and the wider environmental benefits they provide, including sea trout, whose populations are also in decline. Recent years have seen reported catches of both salmon and sea trout at their lowest since records began in 1952 . This study should focus on wild salmon as a minimum, but may include sea trout and brown trout where appropriate.