Dee District Salmon Fishery Board

Salmon fishing rights in Scotland are private heritable titles that are registered separately from land. As such these titles can be bought and sold like any other property.

In Scotland, the cost of the local administration, protection and improvement of the fisheries is privately financed by the proprietors. The district boards finance their work by levying a rate on the salmon fishery owners in the district. Elected representatives of those owners provide the core of the membership of the Board. However, since 1986, the boards are required also to include representatives of salmon anglers and salmon netsmen in the district. A further revision to the constitution of the Boards was made in 1999 to allow for even wider representation on the boards by other parties who may have an interest or stake in salmon stocks or fisheries.

Powers and Duties

The powers and duties of a DSFB are summarised below.

Powers

• to act, undertake works and incur expenses for the protection and improvement of the fisheries within their districts, for the increase of salmon and sea trout and the stocking of the district with these fish.
• to impose financial assessments on each salmon fishery in the district, and to charge interest on arrears.
• to borrow funds, and to incur a wide range of expenditure in furtherance of their powers and duties.
• to appoint bailiffs to enforce the salmon fisheries legislation.
• exempt persons from certain provisions of the law for scientific or other purposes.
• to sue in the name of the clerk.

Duties

• to appoint a clerk.
• to maintain a list of proprietors within the DSFBs district.
• to produce an annual report and audited accounts and to consider these at an AGM.
• to call a triennial electoral meeting.

Clerk (contact details)

Adam Turnbull
Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP
27 St Cuthbert Street
Kirkcudbright
DG6 4DJ

Head Bailiff

Ken Scott (deewaterbailiff@gmail.com)

DSFB Membership

Chairman – James Ingall

Treasurer – Bell Ogilvy, 36 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1AF

Legal advisor – Adam Turnbull, Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP, 27 St Cuthbert Street, Kirkcudbright DG6 4DJ

Upper Proprietors – James Ingall, The Lord Sinclair, Fiona McCulloch

Lower Proprietors – Martin McGhie (for Drax Group)

Other reps - Mark Trueman (Dalry Angling Association), Jamie Ribbens (Galloway Fisheries Trust)

Date of next meeting

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF QUALIFIED PROPRIETORS

You are hereby given formal notice of the Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors of the Dee (Kirkcudbright) District Salmon Fishery Board:

DATE:                     Thursday 8th January 2026

TIME:                      6.00pm

MEETING TYPE:  Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors                           

VENUE:                 via Zoom

The following matters will be considered:

The activities of the Board for the year to 31 December 2025

Draft Annual Report and Audited Statement of Accounts

The proposed activities of the Board for the next year

This meeting is open to the public.  Those wishing to attend should contact the Clerk to the Board on adam.turnbull@ggblaw.co.uk for a Zoom link.

DSFB Conservation Policy

Salmon season: 11th February – 31st October (no salmon fishing on a Sunday)

The Kirkcudbrightshire Dee has been designated as a Category 3 river under the Salmon Conservation Regulations. This means the killing of salmon is considered unsustainable. Compulsory catch and release of all rod caught salmon is required and contravention of the regulations will be a criminal offence. This categorisation is reviewed annually.

The DDSFB takes stock conservation very seriously, the low numbers of Salmon and Sea Trout make taking action to both reduce impact on the stocks through angling policy/guidelines and enhance stocks through habitat improvements and restocking efforts essential. The board hopes that anglers will see these measures as a way to ensure the continuation and enhancement of their angling experience. Through good management, responsible angling behaviour, stock enhancement through hatchery production and habitat enhancement we can help ensure the future of the Dee Salmon and Sea Trout fishery.

The DDSFB requests that anglers:

• Encourage catch and release of sea trout.
• All Sea Trout to be returned as stock levels are critical.
• The use of Prawn is banned and worming is allowed only in high water.
• Barbless or crimped hooks are recommended.
• Kill and report any North American signal crayfish.
• Report to head bailiff any Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, Giant hogweed or Mink.
• Report to head bailiff any fish with signs of diseased or parasites.

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