In the 1950s, Dee nets typically caught over 40,000 salmon each year. Anglers on the river took around 10,000 salmon more. However, as fewer salmon began to return from the sea to the river each year after the 1960s, it became apparent that this exploitation was not sustainable.

Through buyouts, the Dee Fishery Board removed all in-river salmon and sea trout nets from the Dee District during the 1980s, funded by the in-river fishing owners who agreed they would not be fished again. After this, the coastal nets were all bought out by the late 1990s.

With the salmon decline continuing, in 1995 the Dee Fishery Board asked its anglers to start returning any salmon they caught. This was the introduction of Catch & Release, with the Dee being the first Scottish river to implement this. For the last eight years, anglers have voluntarily returned more than 99% of salmon to the river to continue their journey.

In the early 2010s the Fishery Board lobbied Scottish Government against the continued operation of Mixed Stock Fisheries (MSF). Although not existing within the Dee District, these fisheries were likely intercepting Dee fish on their way home to the river.

From 2016, Scottish Government ceased MSF netting operations in the whole of Scotland, initially for three years. Since 2019, the Scottish Government has continued to prohibit coastal netting until stocks have recovered.

Nearly all salmon survive Catch & Release and go on to spawn successfully. This delivers more salmon eggs into the river; in recent years this amounts to around 6.5 million each year.

The only human exploitation now remaining is illegal and our Fisheries Officers work hard to prevent this.