The annual return of forms across all Scotland is provided as the number of forms issued, together with the numbers of forms returned reporting catch or net effort (identified as "Data" returns) and the numbers of Nil returns. The annual return rate of forms is indicated as the sum of "Data" and "Nil" returns expressed as a percentage of the total number of forms issued.
Information on salmon rod effort reporting is included from the 2023 season onwards. The return rate of rod effort is provided as the number of rod forms returned with effort information expressed as a percentage of the number of rod forms returned. The total number of rod-caught salmon covered by reported salmon rod effort is expressed as a percentage of the total number of rod-caught salmon.
Marine Scotland has published a summary of the "2025 Official Statistics for the time series (1952 to 2025) for salmon and sea trout” https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781807750060. Time series data, by District, are available from "Marine Scotland Data" https://dx.doi.org/10.7489/12564-1. Time series data, by Stock Assessment Area, are available from "Marine Scotland Data" https://dx.doi.org/10.7489/12565-1
]]>Year
Description: fishery season year
Unit:
Type: discrete
Range: 1997 to 2025
Note:
Forms issued
Description: number of forms issued
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 1856 to 2170
Note:
Data returns
Description: number of forms returned with catch or effort data
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 876 to 1081
Note: data returns include returns with catch or net effort.
Nil returns
Description: number of forms returned with no catch or effort data
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 677 to 1149
Note: nil returns include returns with no catch or net effort.
Data and nil returns
Description: total number of forms returned
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 1758 to 2041
Note: forms returned are those with catches and those with no catches
Return rate %
Description: forms returned as percentage of forms issued
Unit: %
Type: continuous
Range: 92 to 96
Note: forms returned are those with catches and those with no catches
Rod effort return rate %
Description: returns with rod effort information as a percentage of rod forms returned
Unit: %
Type: continuous
Range: blank, 87 to 97
Note: rod forms returned are those reporting catch and those not reporting catch. Returns with rod effort information include those which reported that no salmon fishing took place. Salmon rod effort is published from 2023. Cells are blank for seasons 1997 to 2022.
Percentage of slamon catch covered by effort
Description: percentage of the total salmon rod catch that had salmon rod effort included in the return.
Unit: %
Type: continuous
Range: blank, 89 to 99
Note: total salmon rod catch include retained and released multi sea-winter and one sea-winter salmon. Salmon rod effort information is published from 2023. Cells are blank for seasons 1997 to 2022.