AN advert in Inverness has caused confusion amongst anglers after a man said he intended to fish for salmon under the Kessock Bridge.
The public notice published in The Inverness Courier claimed that “Mr Grant” would fish for Scotland’s declining wild salmon “under the Kessock Bridge” despite the practice being illegal in that area.
It read: “If anyone has any formal complaints in this matter, please address these to Inverness Sheriff Court.”
The notice also included the full address and phone number of the court office in Inverness.
However, the director of the Ness and District Salmon Fishery Board said the notice was “a bit of a mystery” because nobody had any rights to fish for salmon in the areas proposed.
“I think it could be a wind-up myself because no-one has any rights to fish for salmon or sea trout there,” he said.
“No one with the name Mr Grant has permission to fish there either with rod and line or with net.
“All the netting sites have been bought over and closed there, but we will be keeping an eye on things with our bailiffs on the alert to remain vigilant.”
Inverness Sheriff Court confirmed that they had no connection to the advert.
While fishing for salmon was once permitted in many locations along Scotland’s rivers and coasts, most salmon netting stations have been brought under the control of angling and conservative bodies in an attempt to bolster the declining Atlantic salmon population.
Official figures show that 2023 saw the lowest catch for wild Scottish salmon on record.
The honorary president of Inverness Angling Club, Roderick Grant, was also unable to provide details about the nature of notice.
“In the fairly recent past we could take 350 salmon a year out of the Ness but now it is down to about 50,” he told the Inverness Courier.
“There is an obvious decline in catches and now most anglers release any fish they catch as part of our conservation programme.
“So we would be concerned about what, if anything, is happening out in the firth if it affected salmon conservation.”
