Holyrood, made browsable

Hansard

Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

129
Current MSPs
415
MSPs ever elected
13
Parties on record
2,355,091
Hansard contributions
1999–2026
Coverage span
Official Report

Search Hansard contributions

Clear
Showing 0 of 2,355,091 contributions in session S6, 16 Apr 2026 – 16 May 2026. Latest 30 days: 148. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 14 May 2026.

No contributions match those filters.

← Back to list
Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]

11 Feb 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Salmon Numbers (Rivers)
Burnett, Alexander Con Aberdeenshire West Watch on SPTV

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests regarding the River Dee.

Despite valiant conservation efforts, such as the River Dee Trust’s one million trees campaign, numbers of wild Atlantic salmon have declined by 70 per cent under the Scottish National Party, and they are now an endangered species. Wild fisheries contribute more than £100 million annually to our national economy—they support tourism, jobs and local businesses. However, NatureScot is in denial about seal predation and acoustic solutions that are neither workable nor affordable.

Does the cabinet secretary even understand the issue and the impact that it is having on our local economy, or is she content that her legacy will be that of the extinction of Scotland’s iconic wild salmon?

In the same item of business

1. Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Con
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to restore salmon numbers in Scotland’s rivers. (S6O-05483)
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands (Mairi Gougeon) SNP
I take the issue of declining wild Atlantic salmon populations very seriously. Under our wild salmon strategy and the accompanying implementation plan, we ar...
Alexander Burnett Con
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests regarding the River Dee.Despite valiant conservation efforts, such as the River Dee Trust’s...
Mairi Gougeon SNP
Straight off, I do not appreciate the patronising tone of that supplementary question from Alexander Burnett. To blame a political party for the decline of a...
Alexander Burnett Con
Come and speak with my constituents.
Mairi Gougeon SNP
If Alexander Burnett would care to listen, he would hear that I have outlined the work that has been undertaken through the wild salmon strategy, the accompa...
Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con) Con
Given that the River Tweed is an iconic salmon river that provides around £24 million to the economy and 500 jobs, what action is the Scottish Government tak...
Mairi Gougeon SNP
I can get back to Rachael Hamilton on those particular points if she follows up on them with me in writing. We should take all action to mitigate any damage ...