Operation Salmo targets salmon poachers on Scotland’s rivers

A week-long enforcement and awareness campaign against salmon poaching launched across Scotland’s rivers on Monday, 19 October. Operation Salmo brings together Police Scotland, Fisheries Management Scotland and district salmon fishery board water bailiffs, with joint patrols stepped up on rivers and lochs to detect fish crime and to publicise the damage poaching does to a species now classed as endangered.

Why are salmon so vulnerable now?

Wild Atlantic salmon in Great Britain were moved from “least concern” to “endangered” on the IUCN Red List in 2023 after years of decline. At this time of year the fish are at their most visible, ascending falls on their way to spawn in the headwaters, and at their most vulnerable. Criminals target them with nets, traps and other illegal methods, taking fish for the table or killing them to process their eggs as illegal bait.

Fish crime also covers fishing for salmon or sea trout without permission, using poisons or explosives, and wilfully destroying juvenile fish habitat, and the authorities say it can be linked to wider organised criminality. The most recent wildlife crime report, for 2024, shows fish poaching remains the most commonly reported wildlife crime in Scotland, yet it attracts the lowest average fine, at £334.

Stiffer penalties on the way

Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Islands, said the Scottish Government takes the decline of wild salmon “very seriously” and pointed to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, which includes provisions to increase financial penalties for the most serious fish poaching offences and to allow certain penalties to be applied on a per-fish basis. Commencement is being considered alongside arrangements to align penalties on the border rivers, the Tweed and Esk, with the rest of Scotland.

Brian Davidson, director of operations at Fisheries Management Scotland, said: “Scotland’s Atlantic salmon are at crisis point, and their classification as endangered underlines the gravity of the situation. Fish poaching is a serious wildlife crime. Thanks to the dedicated work of Scotland’s water bailiffs, it has one of the highest conviction rates among wildlife crimes, yet the historic low penalties do not reflect the environmental harm caused.”

Detective Sergeant David Lynn, national wildlife crime coordinator at Police Scotland, said: “Fish poaching is not a victimless crime; it is a serious wildlife offence that directly threatens our natural heritage at a time when wild salmon populations are already facing unprecedented ecological pressures.”

What happens next?

Joint patrols continue through the week, and the public are asked to stay alert on rivers and lochs, to look out for nets in the water or on the banks and for dead fish, and to report suspicious activity to Police Scotland on 101 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies are often the first to spot signs of poaching on sporting water, and estate staff can pass information to their local district salmon fishery board.