Efforts to halt salmon decline

By James Cook Scotland correspondent, BBC News

Anglers have been asked to return any wild salmon they catch

With the pipes skirling and the whisky flowing the men in green marched on the River Tay.

For the anglers who come here to Kenmore every year the opening of the salmon season is a special moment.

The scene is atmospheric - a chill winter mist hangs over the snow speckled banks.

It's tranquil above water but below the surface the salmon are on the move.

They're coming to the end of an epic journey from the Atlantic which will finish in the shallows where their lives began.

If there's less fish in the river we must do what we can to conserve them David Summers Tay Salmon Fisheries Board New code as salmon season starts

For those who watch the great migration up close it's an amazing sight.

"You see the salmon jumping and your blood starts to go and your heart starts pumping," says Bob White, a ghillie.

"It's an absolute joy to work on the river on a daily basis.

"It's just superb scenery."

But the stunning setting hides a problem.

"The number of spring salmon returning to the Tay, and indeed all rivers in Scotland, has been declining," warns David Summers of the Tay Salmon Fisheries Board.

"If there's less fish in the river we must do what we can to conserve them."

Sea mystery

That means asking fishermen to put back every salmon they catch from now until the summer.

A handful may ignore the request but the idea is popular among the anglers in Kenmore who fish for sport not food.

Ally Gowans, a well-known angler and tutor is among many who support the plan.

He said: "In principle it's a very good idea. It's been very successful in the Aberdeenshire Dee and lots of other rivers across the world."

But even "catch and release", as it's known, may not help the wild salmon.

Most experts agree that the problem lies not in the rivers but in the Atlantic Ocean.

Climate change, fish farming and pollution have all been blamed.

But the truth is no-one really knows what is happening to this magnificent fish.

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