Forth District Salmon Fishery Board

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on the banks of the River Forth in Stirling today to celebrate the opening of the new salmon fishing season! We’d especially like to express our thanks to the Anglers of Stirling Fishery Committee for hosting this wonderful event. Your hard work and dedication helped make the day a great success.

The ceremony kicked off at 10.30 AM with a short speech from the Chairman of the Forth District Salmon Fishery Board, offering best wishes for a fruitful season. In a delightful twist, a small sea trout decided to leap behind him—an encouraging omen for all anglers! Next, a Stirling Fishery club member observed tradition by toasting the river with the ceremonial quaich. Finally, one of the younger club members had the honour of making the first cast, a fitting symbol of hope and continuity for our shared passion.

We were thrilled to see so many keen anglers in attendance and would also like to thank Police Scotland’s Wildlife Crime Officer for coming along to chat about fishery protection. Additionally, our thanks go to the staff of the Forth Rivers Trust for joining us and delivering their work to restore rivers for salmon around the Forth.

Here’s to a productive and enjoyable salmon season ahead. Don’t forget to secure your fishing permit at www.fishforth.org before you head out—tight lines and best of luck to everyone!

Stirling Fishery Management Ltd. in association with the Forth District Salmon Fishery Board would like to invite you to attend the opening day ceremony for the 2025 Forth salmon fishing season.

This will be held at the Stirling fishery Forth car park with a walk down to the river for a blessing ceremony.
Proceedings will start at 10am on Saturday 1st February with the walk to the river happening about 10:30am.
There will be a small raffle and some hot drinks and food to warm you up.

Although there is plenty of parking please ensure that you park sensibly when you get there.
Google maps location https://maps.app.goo.gl/8PAxUFNmgyHTZctU6

We hope to see you all there.

Please note, all anglers wishing to fish on the day should purchase a permit via the Fishing around the Forth website www.fishforth.org

The salmon & sea trout netting season in the Forth officially ended on the 26th August. This means that active netting operations in the estuary should cease and all boats used for salmon and sea trout netting removed from the water within 36 hours from midnight on the 26th August.

If anyone spots netting taking place please contact the Forth DSFB Superintendent, Lee Fisher on 07887835549 or Police Scotland on 101.

This is in accordance with the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 - Removal of boats and nets during annual close time
(1)The proprietor or occupier of any salmon fishery shall within thirty-six hours after the commencement of the annual close time—
(a) remove and carry from such fishery, and from the landing places and grounds adjacent thereto, all boats, oars, nets, engines and other tackle used or employed by such occupier in taking salmon; and
(b) effectually secure the same so as to prevent their being used in fishing until the end of the close time.

Forth District Salmon Fishery Board public and annual meeting of qualified proprietors will be held at Dunblane Cathedral on the 20th August.

P***c meeting held 4.30-5.30pm followed by the annual meeting of qualified proprietors 5.30-6.30pm.

Please see the link below for more information.

Governance | ForthDSFB Governance The Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2013 came into force on 16th September 2013 and placed a number of new responsibilities on District Salmon Fishery Boards, relating to openness and accountability. Fisheries Management Scotland have produced some excellent guidance notes, which...

🎣 **Illegal Fishing Alert at Stirling Fisheries** 🎣

On Sunday evening, while many were engrossed in the football, someone decided to engage in illegal fishing activities at Stirling Fisheries.

🚫 **Important Reminder:**
Using shrimps as bait to catch salmon is banned within the Forth District Salmon Fishery Board (ForthDSFB) area and throughout Scotland. Furthermore, targeting migratory fish on a Sunday is an offence under the 2003 Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act.

📹 The Forth District Salmon Fishery Board (ForthDSFB) also utilises drones to monitor fisheries, ensuring that all activities comply with the law and protect our precious fish populations.

🦐 On Monday morning, local anglers discovered shrimp bait and fish scales along the riverbank. CCTV footage from the car park and the section of the river where the shrimps were found will be reviewed, and any evidence will be handed over to Police Scotland.

Stirling Fisheries is a community-run fishery dedicated to providing excellent fishing opportunities on the Forth at Stirling and the Teith at Callander. Your support in maintaining the integrity of their fisheries is crucial.

👀 **See something suspicious?**
If you witness any illegal activity, please report it immediately to help us protect our valuable fish stocks. Together, we can ensure a sustainable and thriving fishing environment for everyone.

You can contact the superintendent by calling – 07887 835549

You can also contact police scotland on 101

Bailiffs were out and about over the last few days checking in on a few hot spots around the district.

Two anglers were approached, both having permits on checking.

Regular patrols are planned over the summer alongside Police Scotland, angling clubs and fishery staff. We would like to remind everyone that it is illegal to fish for salmon and sea trout without written permission. This could lead to your equipment being confiscated and charges brought.

Fishing permits can be bought via www.fishforth.org for many of the fisheries with information on physical outlets also included on the website.

If you spot illegal activity, make sure to report it to those below.

Lee Fisher, Superintendent Bailiff – 07887 835549
Police Scotland – 101
Club bailiffs/wardens (see permit for details)

Please report as much information as possible when calling. The below is a guide as to some of the information which might be useful:
• Location (grid reference if possible)
• Time and date of incident
• Any observations
o What have you seen them do,
o description of individual,
o license plate
o anything else you might think useful or worth noting
• Any pictures or video taken of the incident

Today marks the start of the brown trout season here in the Forth. Tight lines to all of the anglers heading out for a cast today.

It also marks the opening of the River Tyne, Musselburgh Esk, River Avon, River Carron, Allan Water and River Devon.

If you want to find out about some of the great wild fishing locations around the Forth head to www.fishforth.org

Well done to Amy Fergusson of the Forth Rivers Trust for achieving the highest marks during 2023’s IFM bailiff exams. Amy scored the highest mark, coming top of all other candidates during 2023 winning IFM’s trophy and a bottle of Whisky for her efforts.

Amy will support the enforcement of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation)(Scotland) Act 2003 to ensure our rivers and salmon populations are protected for future generations.

Well done Amy!

With the 1st February marking the start of the salmon fishing season, celebrations were being held on rivers around the Forth to bring in the new fishing season.

The Forth DSFB held a small opening ceremony at Blair Drummond with John McKenzie, Chair to the Board, making a short speech and toasting the river. This was followed by Jonathan Louis, Co-Director of the Forth Rivers Trust, highlighting the work being carried out around the Forth to conserve rivers for salmon, sea trout and other wildlife that rely on healthy and clean rivers to survive.

The first cast was held by Charles, an angler from the Blair Drummond beat.

A lot of positives to take home from it with some fantastic work being carried out across the Forth to conserve wild salmon populations. Everything from removing redundant barriers, restoring rivers and boosting riparian tree cover to ensure rivers remain healthy for healthy fish populations.

Tight lines for the 2024 season

Today marks the start of the salmon fishing season in the Forth and staff from the Forth DSFB, Forth Rivers Trust and Police Scotland were out chatting to anglers and ensuring everyone was fishing responsibly and with a permit.

It was great seeing anglers out at Callander having a cast. An impromptu opening ceremony took place with anglers toasting the river to celebrate the start of the season.

Remember to get your permit before you wet a line. Permits available from various outlets or online. Check out www.fishforth.org for more information.

Patrols will continue through the season and should you see any illegal activity, please report it on the numbers below.

Police Scotland 101
Forth DSFB Superintendent 07887835549

Tight lines for the 2024 season.