Coarse fish in Scotland: a threat or a recovery

Less attention has been given to research on coarse fish (defined as non-salmonid species) in Scotland as most government research has focussed on the economically valuable salmonids. Yet non-salmonid species are widely distributed in Scotland (Maitland 1972; Maitland & Campbell 1992) and play an important ecological role in freshwater ecosystems. The fish fauna of Scotland differs from other parts of the British Isles by being more impoverished following the end of the last Ice Age, ca. 10,000 years ago (Maitland 1977). This brief article summarises the ecological role of of non-salmonid fishes in Scottish fresh waters.