Wild Salmon Fishing

The rights to fish for salmon and fish of the salmon kind are part of ancient rights held by The Crown in Scotland. In many areas these rights have been subsequently granted away by the Crown over the centuries. Those that remain are managed by Crown Estate Scotland.

Salmon fishing rights in Scotland are not always bound to the land where the fishings are located. Title can be held separately. So even where the shore or riverbank is privately owned, the salmon and sea trout fishing rights may lie with the Crown and be managed by us. 

Crown Estate Scotland

• Works to promote affordable public access to fishing
• Manages around 140 river salmon fishing tenancies, on around 60 rivers across Scotland, including the Allan Water, the River Leader, the Findhorn, the Stinchar, the Clyde, the Almond and the Forth. The majority, by length of fishing, are let to angling clubs, providing access to reasonably priced salmon fishing rights to local communities. Locations of these angling association lettings are shown here with lists of the angling associations available here.
• Improves fisheries and works with anglers to promote responsible management of fishing
• Conserves fisheries by supporting local conservation policies and best practise through lease arrangements and limiting the number of rods.
• To see the locations of all Crown river salmon fishing stretches see here.
• We do not let or operate coastal netting rights (our predecessor The Crown Estate stopped doing so in the early 1990s) which supports the Scottish Government conservation aims of wild fishery reform to reduce exploitation of vulnerable stocks in Scottish domestic water. A map showing the remaining coastal netting stations in the East of Scotland are found here, and those remaining in the West of Scotland here.

In category 3 rivers, as assessed by Marine Scotland, all salmon that are caught must be released again into the water. This has led to clubs in these areas losing fishermen, threatening the viability of clubs which have a vital role to play in monitoring and managing fishing.

For the 2016 season, we gave a 50% rebate for tenants on category 3 rivers and in 2017 and 2018 we gave a 25% discount. In recognition of the continuing pressures faced by the clubs, and to provide longer term additional support, from the 2019 season until the end of the 2021 fishing season all beats on category 3 rivers will see their rents rebated by 50% and all tenants on category 2 rivers will see their rents rebated by 25%.

We hope that these measures will continue to help and support angling clubs - we are pleased to have already received feedback from a number of angling association tenants that this action is appreciated.

Find out more: 

• Please contact Toby Metcalfe at Savills on 07768 708245