The inaugural meeting of the mixed stock salmon fisheries working group in Edinburgh was chaired by former Scottish Agriculture Secretary David Crawley, reports FishUpdate.
According to the news agency, all of the main organisations with an interest in mixed stock fisheries are represented on the group. It will review all aspects of mixed stock fisheries, identifying the impact on management and conservation, and making recommendations based on evidence and good practice.
The group is to examine concerns about the number of wild salmon returning to spawn in particular rivers, and look at options for better management of stocks. It will prepare a report by the end of 2009, says FishUpdate.
Welcoming the initiative, which arises from the sector-produced Strategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater, Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"Salmon fishing is extremely important to the Scottish economy currently valued at over £120 million and supporting almost three thousand jobs. It is one of the many important industries that are the lifeblood of the rural economy."
Sustaining the Scottish Salmon Sector
UK - An action plan is being put in place to safeguard the future of salmon fisheries in Scotland through sustainable management practises.