Fisheries Management Scotland and Fish Veterinary Society deliver workshop to improve understanding of fish health in Scotland

A workshop, held today in Inverness will provide an introduction to fish health for fisheries managers with a view to increasing knowledge and improving understanding of fish health and disease issues facing Scotland’s iconic wild salmon and sea trout. The workshop is being hosted jointly by the Fish Veterinary Society and Fisheries Management Scotland.

There isn’t yet a clear understanding of the occurrence, extent, or scale of disease and other fish health issues that could be affecting wild salmonids. Collaboration is required to help develop the skillset and insight needed across the wild fish sector to enable a greater understanding of the possible fish health issues affecting wild salmonids. The Fish Veterinary Society and Fisheries Management Scotland have come together to start addressing these gaps.

Following consultation with fish vets, the Fish Health Inspectorate, academics and fishery biologists the workshop has been designed to introduce the skills and knowledge required to sample wild salmonids. The workshop will provide an introduction of fish health topics and case studies to demonstrate the scope for future fish health sampling, as well as demonstrating some of the possible sampling procedures that can be performed on wild fish.

Fish health Scotland workshop

Wild salmon and sea trout are in decline across the Northern Hemisphere due to environmental change and a range of human impacts. The nature crisis is recognised in Scotland and work is underway to better understand the causes of these declines and to implement strategies to conserve and restore wild salmonid species. Scotland’s Wild Salmon Strategy and Implementation Plan identify actions on fish disease, including the need to investigate research gaps and actions to prevent the introduction and spread of disease.

Helen Feenan, Aquaculture Interactions Manager at Fisheries Management Scotland said, “Given the declines in wild salmon and sea trout populations, we want to do everything in our power to improve the situation. We are delighted to deliver this workshop in partnership with experts in fish health from the Fish Veterinary Society and believe that collaborations like these are critical for our success. This workshop is the first step towards better understanding fish health and disease issues and will provide the foundation for a future fish health sampling programme.”

Alison Brough, at Fish Veterinary Society said, “The workshop was open to fisheries managers from across Scotland and included a keynote address from Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Sheila Voas.