Salmon Scotland's 'wild fisheries fund' will see £145,000 invested this year as part of a £1.5 million commitment from the nation's salmon farmers.
Projects which receive grants will aim to stem the decades-long decline in wild fish numbers through habitat protection, protection from predators, and restocking programmes.
Habitat loss and rising river temperatures primarily due to climate change have impacted on wild salmon and sea trout populations throughout the UK and all over the Scottish coastline.
Salmon farming companies, which only operate on the west coast, launched the fund to play their part finding solutions, engaging constructively with the wild fish sector and taking meaningful action to save wild salmon.
This year, money will be available to a broad range of organisations and projects in Scotland's aquaculture zone, including local angling clubs, fishery boards and other community associations.
Previously called the 'wild salmonid fund', more than £190,000 has already been invested since 2021 in restoration projects to reduce riverbank erosion and measures to provide tree canopy and in-stream cover for young salmon.
The new fund will be open for applications on February 1 and the closing date will be March 31, with decisions on grants taken by Salmon Scotland in April.
It will be co-ordinated by fishery manager Jon Gibb, who is based in Fort William and has championed a constructive relationship between the farm-raised salmon sector and fisheries and angling groups.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said:
"The king of fish is one of Scotland's most iconic species, earning it place alongside the red deer, the golden eagle and the Scottish wildcat.
"But like so many other animals, numbers have been in decline for decades due to habitat loss and rising river temperatures caused by climate change.
"Scotland's salmon farmers want to play their part finding solutions, engaging constructively with the wild fish sector and taking meaningful action to save wild salmon.
"We are determined, for example, to share our knowledge and experience to support wild fisheries with re-stocking.
"While a handful of urban activists who live far from rural Scotland are determined to shut down salmon farms and make 12,000 people unemployed in the mistaken belief this would somehow help wild salmon, most people in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors are focused on helping salmon to thrive in our waters."