A three-year project aimed at enhancing the health of wild and farmed fish in the Highlands and Islands is to receive support of £449,771 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The project is being carried out by the ‘Tripartite Working Group’, which comprises salmon farming and salmon and sea trout fisheries interests and the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD). The group was set up in 1999 against a backdrop of a long term decline in stocks of wild salmon and sea trout in rivers of the north west Highlands and Islands.

Regional projects will focus on the coastal waters in Argyll, Lochaber, the Western Isles and the North West Mainland, and will include the development of area management agreements.

Iain Sutherland of HIE’s key industries team, said: "It is crucial that steps are taken to improve the health of both farmed and wild fish stocks across the Highlands and Islands and the enterprise network is committed to the efforts being made to achieve this. Area management agreements will bring a more co-ordinated approach to the localised management of stocks as well as helping to identify best practices, which can in turn be shared more widely."

HIE has also supported the employment of the national development officer for the group, Dr Amanda Currie, who welcomed the announcement. "There is no shortage of commitment to this initiative," she said. "As well as the support from the enterprise network, we also have the fisheries management interests, the local authorities and private sector companies on board. I very much welcome this commitment and look forward to working with all those parties on the development of the area management agreements."

Director of the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards, Andrew Wallace, added: "The development of Area Management Agreements and the promotion of a growing understanding between wild and farmed fish interests, combined with this important and much needed support by HIE, are further important steps towards achieving an understanding of how aquaculture and wild fisheries can co-exist."

Brian Simpson, Chief Executive of Scottish Quality Salmon, commented: "Our members are committed to high standards of fish health and welfare as well as building better and productive working relationships, to secure long term sustainable salmon farming and wild salmon fisheries. This can only be good for Scottish jobs and the Scottish economy."