Salmon Act 1986

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Salmon Act 1986 – easy summary

The Salmon Act 1986 is a United Kingdom law passed by Parliament on 7 November 1986. It updates and regulates the management of salmon fisheries and the dealing (selling and handling) of salmon in Scotland and in England and Wales.

Main points:
- What it does: Sets fresh rules for running salmon fisheries in Scotland; regulates licensing and dealing with salmon in Scotland and in England and Wales; creates offences related to salmon in both Scotland and England/Wales; amends several earlier laws; provides for a review of salmon fishing by nets; and other connected purposes.
- Key offence: It is illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances—meaning you believe or could reasonably believe the salmon was fished illegally or came from an illegal source.
- Updates to law: The act also amends earlier laws such as the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, and parts of the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966 and the Diseases of Fish Act 1983.
- Net fishing review: Provisions to review how salmon are fished with nets.
- Scope: Applies to Scotland, England and Wales.
- Repeals: It repeals several older acts from 1696 and 1862–1870s.
- Later amendments: The clause on handling fish in suspicious circumstances was broadened to include other fish (like trout, eels, lampreys, and smelt) by later law.
- Structure: It contains about 70 sections.