Fish
- In general it is illegal to fish in inland waters except by rod
and line.
- It is a crime to kill, injure or disturb certain specially protected fish.
- It is an offence to obstruct the passage of salmon or sea trout in a river or to damage their spawning beds.
The law regulates when, where and how one can fish, especially for
Atlantic salmon and sea trout. A permit is always needed to fish for
salmon and it is an offence to obstruct the passage of migratory salmon
and trout in a river or to damage their spawning beds (redds). There
are close seasons and close times for all fish. The owner of an
inland loch may use nets to catch fish and the owner of an inland river
or stream may use nets to catch fish other than salmon or trout.
However some traditional types of net can be used to catch salmon in
special circumstances. It is illegal to use poison, explosive or
an electrical device to take fish. However it is possible to
catch fish by other means for approved purposes - for instance, in
order to improve the stock .
Some species of fish, for example the vendace, whitefish or powan,
two seahorses and common sturgeon, are specially
protected animals and so it is a crime to kill, injure, capture or
disturb these. Scotland's largest fish, the Basking Shark, is also protected. No fish are European Protected Species but some are protected by
European law requiring additional protection on special sites.
The release of fish into Scottish fresh waters is controlled (see
release of species).