Background The population of the Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, has declined in many European countries as a result of commercial netting, deteriorating water quality and barriers to migration. The species is still present in almost all rivers in Scotland but, even here, where water quality is generally good, there are many problems to be addressed. Scottish rivers such as the Dee, Tweed, Tay and Spey are ranked amongst the most famous salmon fishing rivers in the world and the conservation and sustainable exploitation of salmon stocks is the primary role of District Salmon Fisheries Boards. pIn a remarkable partnership, eight of these Salmon Fisheries Boards, responsible for 40% of the wild salmon resource in Scotland, came together with conservation agencies, hydroelectric companies and the Scottish Executive to tackle a series of threats on several major salmon rivers in Scotland. Eight rivers were chosen to demonstrate how a range of problems could be resolved through consensus with all parties concerned. The experience gained from the project is to be widely disseminated. Objectives The project aimed to conserve the abundance and diversity of salmon in Scotland through a significant improvement of freshwater habitats, the development of management guidelines, and the promotion and demonstration of best practice in the removal of key threats through joint effort and partnership. The project intended to purchase netting rights to halt commercial salmon netting on two rivers, improve and restore access to rivers through the removal of 25 obstacles and undertake in-stream habitat improvement works to restore spawning and juvenile habitat. The project aimed to address the problems of silting-up along eroded river banks through fencing and stabilising structures. In some rivers, it planned to introduce fish to newly restored sections. It also planned to use fish counters to provide more information on the status of salmon in several pSCIs. The project aimed to significantly improve the natural freshwater habitat for salmon on eight of the key salmon river pSCIs in Scotland and provide a major vehicle for raising awareness on the needs of the species, both to managers and to a wider audience. It intended to produce a range of management demonstration products, which would feed into wider conservation strategies for the species, and provide guidance for their application throughout Scotland and beyond. Results The CASS LIFE project achieved all the actions in the 4 years of the project. A number of the targets were exceeded and the remainder were met with only one exception. The 17 partners involved in the project successfully demonstrated what can be achieved if there is a single goal and a clearly defined pathway to achieve that goal. The removal of 25 obstacles resulted in 150 km of salmon habitat being opened up, allowing salmon access to parts of 8 river systems that had been inaccessible for many years. Preliminary results of the monitoring show that salmon are returning to these rivers, one of which, the Coy, has not seen salmon for over 250 years. Over 70,000 m2 of juvenile spawning habitat was improved and two of the rivers were gradually restocked over the lifetime of the project. Some 76 km of fencing was erected to control grazing by cattle and associated degradation of the river banks. This was accompanied by a programme of riparian management, including the removal of coniferous trees to reduce acidity, coppicing to increase light and planting of native tree species. The project also produced a guidance document on gravel extraction, which can lead to the removal valuable spawning habitat in salmon rivers. This compliments the general guidance given by the regulator in respect of the Water Framework Directive. The project also achieved some other important results: not only are the strong project partnerships developed through the project likely to continue, but the 'Salmon in the Classroom' project also represents an innovative education awareness programme, aimed at school children. This proved so successful that there is a 'waiting list' for participation. The project only failed to complete one action; the purchase of netting stations on one river fell short of the target by one station due to a higher price than anticipated. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).