Conservation Regulations
Fishing
Catch And Release
Ness DSFB 2026 Salmon Conservation Policy
The Board reviewed its Conservation Policy in the November 2025 Board meeting. The outcome was a recommendation that all salmon and grilse should be returned from 2026, until such times as stocks recover to a sustainable level. Catch and release has been widely adopted on the Ness but with the release rate dropping in 2025, it was felt that any level of exploitation by anglers was unwarranted. The Board’s recommendation therefore is that there should be no deliberate killing of salmon throughout the season.
See below for Conservation Policy
See Conservation Policy
Sea Trout
Further to the above, it is clear that our sea trout catches are in continued decline and at extremely low levels. As such, we have produced new ‘Sea Trout Conservation Guidelines’. This aims to raise awareness of key sea trout facts, their legal protection, current status and what anglers can do to help (click on picture to view or download).
