The River Tweed Commission met on Monday, 7th June 2010 and decided that the current Spring Salmon Conservation Measure of total catch and release for Salmon caught until June 30th should be extended for a further 5 years, until  2015.

Commission decided that it was important to have a clear policy, for an agreed period, and that 5 years would cover at least one whole production cycle. The purpose of the change is to conserve the fragile Spring stock and is in line with policy for the whole of England, and many other rivers in Scotland including the Tay and the Dee.
 
The decision was made because Commissioners believe that the spawning  stock of early running (Spring) fish is near or below that required to sustain it and therefore there are no surplus fish that can be killed. This is in marked contrast to the Grilse and Autumn runs, which are abundant.
 
A number of issues will be considered in the coming months including the recapture of released fish, fishing in the headwaters, fishing methods, and a review of the nominal date of the end of Spring period, which is currently June 30th. The fine detail of the Measures will be decided upon by Commissioners at their meeting in September.