The Chief Statistician of Scotland has released figures for all of Scotland showing that total salmon catch by all methods in 2025 was the lowest, and total sea trout catch the second lowest, since records began in 1952.
Reported rod catch of salmon (28,020) is the lowest since records began, and 68 per cent of the previous five-year average. Catches have decreased from a high of 111,405 in 2010 and the 2025 reports are consistent with a general pattern of decline in numbers of wild salmon returning to Scotland.
Reported rod days effort for salmon for 2025 (192,859) decreased by five per cent when compared to 2024 (203,199).
In 2025, release rates of salmon captured by rod were the highest on record. Of spring salmon captured by rod, 99 per cent were released; 98 per cent of all rod-caught salmon were released.
The net and coble fishery reported the lowest retained catch, and the fixed engine fishery the sixth lowest since records began.
Fish reported as being of farmed origin represented 1.6 per cent of the total catch.
Total reported rod catch of sea trout (13,025) is the lowest since records began. Sea trout catches have fluctuated around a general trend of decline since the 1960s.
In 2025, release rates of sea trout were 92 per cent. This is the second highest percentage since records began.
The net and coble fishery reported the third lowest retained catch, and the fixed engine fishery the fifth lowest, since records began.
The statistics for the 2025 season are a summary of the data from 1,993 forms returned from 2,160 forms issued (92 per cent return rate). Catches for the previous 10 years have been based on return rates of forms between 93 per cent and 95 per cent. Salmon rod fishing effort was reported on 97 per cent of returned rod forms.
Collected data for the 2020 and 2021 seasons is impacted by the restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic and this will have a bearing on the five-year averages.