Fisheries Management Scotland welcomes stronger penalties for serious fish crime in the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill

Fisheries Management Scotland has long called for tougher penalties for the most serious offences against Scotland’s Atlantic salmon and sea trout. Following several years of planning, culminating in constructive and supportive engagement with Emma Harper MSP, we are pleased to see the Scottish Parliament approve increased penalties for major wildlife crimes involving fish at Stage 3 of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill.

Fish poaching remains a serious and damaging wildlife crime. Although conviction rates for these offences are among the highest of all wildlife crimes, the average fine is just £349 – an amount that is wholly disproportionate to the environmental harm caused. Such minimal penalties fail to deter offenders and undermine efforts to protect Atlantic salmon, now classified by the IUCN as endangered in Great Britain.

Emma Harper’s amendment significantly strengthens the available penalties for the worst offences, including the use of illegal gill nets, explosives, poisons, and electric fishing devices. These enhanced penalties will deliver a stronger deterrent to those intent on harming Scotland’s endangered Atlantic salmon and sea trout populations.

The increased penalties also acknowledge the growing sophistication and organisation of poaching activity, which often involves coordinated groups operating commercially and, in some cases, linked to wider serious and organised crime.

Emma Harper MSP said: “Over many decades governments and enforcement authorities have worked constructively with the fisheries management sector to strike the right balance between conservation, biodiversity, and the needs of fisheries and those who use them.

“As a result we have a world-class angling sector, with huge economic benefits to rural Scotland – but poaching puts all this at risk.

“So I am delighted that my amendment to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill passed, which includes increasing the sanctions available to the authorities to tackle illegal fishing and poaching.

Dr Alan Wells, CEO of Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS) said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Parliament supported an amendment to increase the available penalties for fish poaching offences. Fish poaching is a significant wildlife crime. Through the dedicated work of Scotland’s water bailiffs, we have one of the highest conviction rates of all wildlife crimes, but the very low penalties currently issued do not reflect the environmental damage caused. We believe that these changes send a strong message that Scotland cares deeply about our wild salmon and sea trout, and we hope that future fines act as a real deterrent against these wildlife crimes.

“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to helping to make this change happen and in particular, Emma Harper MSP for lodging and supporting this amendment and Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands for working with Emma Harper to bring forward Stage 3 amendments. These changes deliver a key action in Scotland’s Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan, which in turn, was informed by expert input from the FMS Enforcement Committee and the wider network of water bailiffs.”