The time series for retained net and rod catch runs from 1952 to the most recently published season. The time series for released rod catch runs from 1994 to the most recently published season. Released net catch data was collected for the first time in 2021 and the data is included. The data are the summations of reports from individual fisheries. No attempt has been made to correct for non-returns or incomplete information held in the register of proprietors and occupiers.

Data files for the net fisheries contain effort data. Fixed engine effort is summarised as median number of traps operated within Scotland in any month. Net and coble effort is summarised as median number of crews operated within Scotland in any month. To avoid duplication net effort data is assigned to retained catch only. We have no comprehensive time series of fishing effort information associated with the rod and line fishery.

Reported catches are provided at the finest time scale (month) and geographical scale for which data are consistently available. Salmon Fishery Districts are defined in legislation and correspond either to a single river catchment together with adjacent coast or to groups of neighbouring river catchments and associated coastline. Districts may be further aggregated into salmon fishery regions whose extents are described in our Topic Sheet publication Collecting the Marine Scotland Salmon and Sea Trout Fishery Statistics.

Salmon Fishery Districts are characterised by Name, District ID and Report Order. Ordering the data with respect to “Report Order” sorts the areas spatially. Districts are ordered counter-clockwise starting with the Tweed as Report Order 1.

The categories by which sea trout data have been reported have varied through the time series (see Collecting the Marine Scotland Salmon and Sea Trout Fishery Statistics). Finnock catches have been reported since 2004. Finnock, which may also be known as whitling or herling, are sea trout which have spent less than a year at sea and are making their first return to fresh water. They are not included in sea trout numbers.

Catches of farmed multi-sea winter (MSW) and one-sea winter (1SW) salmon have been reported since 1994.

Marine Scotland have published topic sheets summarising the 2021 Official Statistics for both salmon and sea trout catches. Summary data for the time series are available from our data visualisation application, accessible from the related content section below.