Rob Gibson

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the level of compensation likely to be needed to close mixed fishery netting businesses as part of the wild salmon kill licence strategy.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26998 on 28 September 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamenta…

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has concluded the criteria for compensating netsmen who do not receive a licence to kill wild salmon.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: We are developing an appropriate diversification/compensation package and will publish details at the earliest opportunity.

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many licences to kill wild salmon are expected to be issued in 2016.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26992 on 28 September 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamenta…

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it collects the figures from anglers for the number of salmon caught and released or killed each year.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: Salmon and sea trout fishery statistics are obtained from returns made in response to an annual questionnaire sent to the proprietors or occupiers of all known salmon and sea trout fisheries under the provisions of section 64 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fish…

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many salmon anglers have killed on rivers in each year since 2010.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: Annual reported catch of wild salmon and grilse retained is presented in the following table. These numbers show slight increases from those published at the time as our records are updated when further information is provided. Year Number 2010 32,866 20…

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome of scientific studies has been concerning the number of wild salmon that die as a result of the catch and release policy on rivers.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: There have been a number of scientific studies on the impact of catch and release on Atlantic salmon, primarily in Norway and Ireland. The results of these vary from no mortalities up to 45%, depending on capture method. In Scotland work was undertaken on the…

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it calculates the number of wild salmon killed annually by anglers.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The number of wild salmon killed annually by anglers is estimated from the annual reported catch. Total numbers killed by anglers consist of two components, direct and indirect mortality. The direct mortality is estimated as the reported number of retained fi…

6 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how an annual sustainable harvest of wild salmon will be calculated.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: As part of the new proposals underpinning the proposed kill licence scheme, the killing of salmon would be managed on an annual basis by categorising fishery districts and Special Areas of Conservation in relation to their conservation status. Details on how …

15 Jun 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the use of video conferencing and other remote learning facilities can have in helping smaller secondary schools broaden the range of subjects offered at all levels.

8 Jun 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much land and forest has been bought and sold by Forestry Commission Scotland since 2010 and at what cost.

27 May 2015 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made toward implementing the objectives, proposals and policies set out in the first Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme since it was published in May 2014.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government published its first annual report on progress made towards implementing the comprehensive set of measures included in the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme today. The report shows that we have made good headway in helping Sc…

18 May 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it expects replacing the ScotRail Club 55 scheme with Club 50 will have on the number of older travellers from the Highlands using services.

11 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging more women to take up engineering roles in the renewable energy sector.

1 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public agencies are doing to promote outdoor education for both urban and rural pupils and with what success.

27 Apr 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what carbon saving would be made by removing one supermarket lorry from the A9 between Edinburgh and Thurso and carrying the contents by rail.

20 Apr 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for minority sports.

19 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on supporting smolt release on a greater range of (a) east and (b) west coast rivers.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government is committed to promoting evidence-based fishery management. Management of salmon fisheries takes place at a local level by District Salmon Fishery Boards who have responsibility for regulation of salmon introductions in their area. Sm…

19 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence there is regarding whether smolt release programmes sustain salmon stocks for angling.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25306 on 5 May 2015. There is evidence that stocked salmon smolts return to Scottish rivers as adults. However, the survival rate is very low and much lower than that of wild-reared smolts. The report currently…

19 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which rivers have smolt release programmes for the boosting of salmon stocks.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25306 on 5 May 2015. Managers of a number of rivers have experimented with stocking of salmon smolts over the years, including the Tay, Lochy, Dionard, Leven, Irvine, Conon and Carron. Of these managers, only t…

19 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the draft recommendations in the wild fishing review, what research it is conducting on the potential benefits of releasing salmon smolts from hatcheries into salmon fishing rivers.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government is in the process of publishing a review of the performance of hatchery-reared salmon smolts (the stage at which the fish are changing from the freshwater to marine form) stocked in to Scottish waters (often termed ‘salmon ranching’). …

13 Apr 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will produce a publicly-available map of the locations of wildlife crimes since 1999.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: There have been 6,760 recorded wildlife crimes across the 15 year period 1999-2000 to 2013-14. We do not have sufficiently precise location information for most of these crimes and it is therefore not practicable to attempt to map them. It is worth mentioni…

16 Mar 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will spend the £14 million announced in the budget for low-cost home energy efficiency loans.

23 Feb 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much private and public land in Scotland was registered on the national map-based register of land ownership by December 2014 and how much it envisages being registered in the next five years.

9 Feb 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in devolving the powers of the Crown Estate.

2 Feb 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to encourage voter registration.

26 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how building standards can be improved to help mitigate and adapt to climate change.

1 Dec 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed land commission will identify landowners and plan diversity of ownership.

24 Nov 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether modern studies should be made available at all secondary schools if 16 and 17-year-olds have the right to vote in elections.

20 Aug 2014 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to address concerns regarding the status of the spring stocks of wild Scottish salmon.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The conservation of spring stocks of wild Scottish salmon is an issue of growing concern and I consider it necessary to take proactive action in order to protect these stocks by placing on a statutory footing the good practice currently operated by many respo…

11 Aug 2014 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the economic impact will be of Royal Mail's decision to bring forward rural post box collection times.