Findhorn District Salmon Fishery Board - Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Rivers Trust

Rivers benefit everyone by providing recreation opportunities and economic benefits to a region. It is up to all of us to look after them, and improve them where we can.

The River Findhorn District Salmon Fishery Board (FDSFB) is a statutory body with responsibility for protecting and enhancing stocks of salmon and sea trout on the Findhorn and its tributaries. The Findhorn DSFB is responsible for the entire River Findhorn catchment. The Findhorn Fishery District includes the River Findhorn and its tributaries plus 35 km of coastline in the Moray Firth, from Burghead to the east of the Findhorn estuary to The Bar in the west. The District extends 3 nautical miles out to sea. The Muckle, Mosset, Kinloss and Burgie Burns are also included within the District. The river arises in the Monaliadth Mountains. The catchment area is over 1,300km2 and the stream network length is about 1,500km, of which the main river comprises 90km.

The fishing season runs from 11th February until 30th September.

The Findhorn DSFB carries out this remit through several activities:

Monitoring catchment developments
Preventing poaching
Monitoring stock levels
Issuing a Conservation-Code
Habitat work

River Levels

You can monitor river levels via the SEPA gauging stations at Forres and Shenachie.

SEPA have provided web access to many electronic gauges on the rivers of Scotland. A direct link to the Shenachie gauge data can be accessed below.

Visit the SEPA website

FISHERIES BOARD MEMBERS

The Board was established under the 1862 and 1868 Salmon Fisheries Legislation, amended in the Salmon Act 1986 and the Salmon Conservation (Scotland) Act 2001. This legislation has been recently amalgamated under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Please contact the Administrator, Clare Walker for further information:
Fisheries Office, Logie Steading, Dunphail, Forres IV36 2QN clerk@findhorndsfb.org.uk

Membership of the River Findhorn District Salmon Fishery Board comprises all proprietors on the Findhorn. A Board elected by the membership meets three times per year to monitor conditions on the river, to create, review and implement strategies and policies to ensure effective management, and to take any necessary decisions regarding the Board’s statutory duties. The Board’s legal and administrative tasks are supervised by the Clerk. The Board employs two bailiffs to police the river and to protect and enhance stocks of salmonids (salmon and sea trout). Various scientific activities necessary for protecting and enhancing stocks, such as electro fishing surveys, are contracted out to the Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Rivers Trust.

Our Board members:

Anthony Laing, Chair
Alasdair Laing,
Alex Leven
Andrew Howard
David Paton
The Earl Cawdor
Colin Glynn-Percy
Michael Barron (Forres Angling Association)
Murray Wilson
Mark Laing (co-opted member)
Campbell Ross (co-opted member)
Robert Hoskin
Clerk: Anthony Laing

River Activities

From monitoring wind farm and other developments, to hatchery, prevention of poaching and more. Read more about our work across the River Findhorn.

Monitoring of Wind Farm and Developments

The Findhorn DSFB is regularly consulted on proposed developments that might affect the river, its tributaries or fish stocks.

Discover more

Hatchery

The Board has run a salmon hatchery on the Lethen Estate for a number of years and a second hatchery at Dalmigarry, run by the estate, was also added in the late 1990s.

Discover more

Juvenile Surveys

The Findhorn DSFB commissions regular electro fishing surveys to monitor fish populations, both numbers of fish and distribution of different age classes.

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Prevention of Poaching

As a result of several years of effective bailiffing, poaching on the Findhorn is now fairly minimal. Patrolling continues, to maintain this state of affairs.

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Diseased and Damaged Fish

The Board encourages anyone who sees diseased or damaged fish to report this to the Board or to the Rivers Trust.

Discover more

BAILIFFS

The Findhorn District Salmon Fishery Board currently employs two full-time water Bailiffs who conduct regular and effective patrols of the river Findhorn to protect salmon and sea trout stocks and prevent poaching.
The Bailiffs also enable the Findhorn District Salmon Fishery Board to carry out its other activities.

The Bailiffs can be contacted on:
Head Bailiff: Sean McLean, 07920 483081
Assistant Bailiff, Alister Taylor 07387302649

Angling on the River

Angling can be organised by contacting individual proprietors, or via the Forres Angling Association.

The season opens on the 11th February and closes on 30th September.

Find out more

2024 Season Report

Positive action is being taken to safeguard and improve our own river environment.

Hear from our Anthony Laing (Chair) below.

Read here

RESOURCES

Here you can find key documents, dates and resources relating to the management of the River Findhorn.

Anyone is welcome to attend advertised meetings but some agenda items may be taken in private.

The next FDSFB meeting will be held on 18th August 2025 at 9:30am followed by the AGM and Triennial Elections at 11am. The meeting will be held in The Long Room at Logie Steading. If you would like to propose any business for this meeting, please contact the Administrator by Wednesday 13th August 2025.

For further details please contact the Administrator to the Board, at clerk@findhorndsfb.org.uk or call on 07501 767 801

Annual Reports
Meetings & Minutes
Accounts
2024 Conservation Code

Here you will find the latest annual report containing a summary of the fishing season and information on the other activities of the Fishery Board over the past year. You can also find previous years annual reports.

2024 Annual Report

01 Dec 24
4 MB

2023 Annual Report

01 Dec 23
4 MB

2022 Findhorn Annual Report

01 Dec 22
2 MB

2021 Findhorn Annual Report

01 Dec 21
2 MB

2020 Findhorn Annual Report

01 Dec 21
1,017 KB

The Fishery Boards meet several times per year, there are two Board meetings, a meeting of Qualified Proprietors and an Annual General Meeting. The minutes of these meetings are available to the public and, once approved, can be found here.

November 2024 Minutes

11 Jun 25
237 KB

August 2024 Minutes

18 Dec 24
130 KB

May 2024 Minutes

27 Aug 24
187 KB

November 2023 Minutes

10 Jun 24
187 KB

2023 AGM Minutes

27 Aug 24
139 KB

August 2023 Minutes

11 Dec 23
128 KB

May 2023 Minutes

15 May 23
185 KB

2022 AGM Minutes

08 Aug 22
104 KB

November 2022 Minutes

14 Nov 22
188 KB

August 2022 Minutes

08 Aug 22
92 KB

May 2022 Minutes

23 May 22
143 KB

2021 AGM Minutes

21 Sep 23
124 KB

November 2021 Minutes

15 Nov 21
164 KB

August 2021 Minutes

09 Aug 21
96 KB

May 2021 Minutes

24 May 21
117 KB

2025 Accounts

15 Jul 25
108 KB

2024 Accounts

22 Jul 24
211 KB

2023 Signed Accounts

31 Oct 23
331 KB

2022 Signed Accounts

21 Sep 23
1 MB

2021 Signed Accounts

21 Sep 23
1 MB

2024 Findhorn DSFB Conservation Code

18 Dec 23
152 KB

FDSFB Biosecurity Form

20 Dec 23
101 KB