Tackling Poaching to Protect the River Tweed’s Future
Protection of Tweed salmon, sea trout, and freshwater fish has been the responsibility of the River Tweed Commission (RTC) since its creation under the Act of 1807. The RTC employs a dedicated team of Fishery Officers (Bailiffs) who enforce fishery laws and regulations throughout the Tweed district. Their role is comparable to that of a police officer, with many of the same powers of a constable.
Enforcement is vital to the protection of fish populations. The team carries out audits and inspections of fish movements, patrols the catchment to ensure no one is fishing during the closed season, looks for unlicensed or prohibited nets and lines, and engages with the public and fishery owners to raise awareness and encourage compliance.
Fish crime includes a range of illegal activities that can cause serious harm to wild fish populations. These include fishing for salmon or sea trout without permission, using illegal fishing methods such as nets or traps, killing fish for their eggs, using poisons or explosives, and the wilful destruction of juvenile fish habitats. Such offences threaten fragile salmon stocks and are often linked to wider organised criminal activity.
Enforcement teams can’t be everywhere, so community vigilance is essential. Members of the public are encouraged to stay alert to suspicious activity on rivers and lochs, look out for nets or signs such as dead fish, and report any suspicious incidents to Police Scotland via 101 or directly to the River Tweed Commission.
During October, RTC Fishery Officers took part in Operation Salmo, a week-long enforcement and awareness initiative that put extra boots on Scotland’s riverbanks to tackle salmon poaching. Led by Police Scotland in partnership with Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS) and district water bailiffs, the operation increased joint patrols across rivers and lochs and helped raise awareness of the damage poaching and other illegal activities can cause to Scotland’s endangered salmon stocks.
Jamie Stewart, Director of the River Tweed Commission, said:
“Poaching is not just an attack on fish—it’s an attack on the health of our rivers and the communities that depend on them. By working together with Police Scotland and Fisheries Management Scotland, we’re sending a clear message: illegal fishing will not be tolerated on the River Tweed catchment. Protecting wild salmon is vital to safeguarding one of our most iconic species for future generations.”
Brian Davidson, Director of Operations at Fisheries Management Scotland, added:
“In parallel with Operation Salmo, Fisheries Management Scotland is pressing for tougher penalties for the most serious fish offences, including those that involve poisons and noxious substances, destruction of habitat, killing salmon for their eggs and poachers who operate in gangs. Returning adult salmon have already successfully negotiated a range of challenges at sea, and any loss of these precious wild fish to illegal activity is tragic and reduces the chances of sustaining Scotland’s salmon populations into the future.”
Police Scotland’s National Wildlife Crime Coordinator, Detective Sergeant David Lynn, said:
“There is a perception that fish poaching is not a serious crime and that ‘taking one for the pot’ does no harm. However, fish poaching is a criminal offence and stocks are protected by law. It is often connected with other forms of criminality. As well as carrying out joint patrols with water bailiffs to deter fish poaching and other offences in and around rivers, lochs and the coastline, officers work closely with Fisheries Management Scotland and other partners, including the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Priority Delivery Group for Poaching in Scotland.”
Report any suspicious incidents to Police Scotland via 101, contact RTC Fishery Officers and/or the River Tweed Commission on 01896 848 294.
Before fishing the Tweed please make yourself familiar with River Tweed Angling Codes
River Tweed Commission.
