The killing of wild salmon could require a licence, subject to a public consultation, environment minister Aileen McLeod said today.

The consultation will seek views on conservation measures which would seek to ban the killing of wild salmon except under licence, along with an accompanying carcass tagging scheme to ensure compliance.

The kill licence would apply to anglers and netters and it is hoped the new system would be in place for 2016.

Over the next 12 weeks, stakeholders will be invited to use the consultation period to offer their views on both the principle of the proposals and how they might operate in practice.

Launching the consultation, Dr McLeod said: ‘I am pleased that we are now in a position to progress this consultation.

‘The Scottish government is committed to meeting our obligations on wild salmon conservation by ensuring that killing by any method is sustainable.

‘We need to ensure we have a robust and sustainable system so our fish thrive and people can continue to enjoy wild fishing and the socio-economic benefits that flow from it for generations to come.

‘This is why we have launched a consultation to seek views on a kill lice