That is the view of worried Scottish river ghillies who believe implementation of the delayed Salmon Strategy must urgently gather pace if it is to succeed.
Their fears come 24 hours after Scottish Government published its progress report for 2023-2024 on actions taken to conserve the species, recently classed for the first time as endangered in the UK.
Positive actions detailed in the Government’s Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan progress report were actions taken by environmental regulator SEPA to remove or improve structures acting as barriers to salmon passage.
The banning of sandeel fishing was also noted as a positive step for migrating salmon, with the fish at larval stage making up a signifiant component of post-smolt diet at sea.
However, these were the only tangible actions, with the greater majority of the report focusing on scoping future work, identifying issues to tackle in years ahead and securing funding for more science.
Ghillies, who are living through some of the worst rod catch records in living memory, have received the progress report with cold comfort.
Local businesses, heavily dependent on angling tourism, are seeing visitors disappear or anglers booking for less days.
The SGA Fishing Group, which represents river ghillies across the country, says members are deeply frustrated at the lack of substantive action.
“There seems to be a big gap between the urgency that river ghillies believe is necessary and actions being taken at Government level to try to fix this,” says River Ericht ghillie, Grant Kellie, a member of the SGA Fishing Group.
“If pace continues at this rate, salmon are going to run out of time and businesses and communities that have culturally grown up around salmon fishing in Scotland are going to decline.
“There is so much work going on to improve habitats for salmon, at river or local level, but it can’t all be done that way.
“It needs leadership and urgency from people at the top and, on the evidence of this report card, we are falling far short. Science has already identified the problems. We need action.”
Provisional salmon catch records for last season, for Scotland, show a 25% decline decline from the previous year and ghillies are fearful for the future.
They are critical of Marine Scotland over restrictions to stocking policies they feel could potentially help the situation for some fishery boards, citing examples of exemplar models such as successful stocking programmes on the River Carron.
The Government’s report card has not lightened the mood in the boats and on the river banks.
“Ghillies reading this today will be completely frustrated. We have been telling Government what the problems are for years. If it isn’t deemed to be serious now, with catches way down and the uptake of fishing declining dramatically, when is it serious?
“The gate is wide open and the horse is miles away,” said Tay ghillie, Robert White, from the SGA Fishing Group.
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Read the Government's progress report, here:
