news/editorial

19 February 2017 News/Editorial

The Scottish Government announced last week, 2 1/2 years after the release of Andrew Thin’s appalling Wild Fisheries Review in October 2014, that nearly all its controversial recommendations on reforming Scottish salmon river management have been dropped.

The River Tweed Commission was reprieved from its threatened abolition over a year ago, and now all other river boards are to be left untouched. The smaller boards are still (quite rightly) being encouraged to amalgamate with neighbours, and reform internally by becoming more inclusive.

So no FMOs, those curiously ill-defined proposed amalgams of existing boards and rivers trusts, and no annual rod licensing for Scotland.

The two are, of course, connected, because the only way these FMOs could have operated effectively, covering the whole of Scotland to the required standard, would have been if they were properly funded. With Government not putting up any money, and with proprietors funding the whole thing, and even Government accepting proprietors could not be expected to pay any more, the only possible additional funding had to come for those who actually fish.

Despite annual rod licensing having operated perfectly happily south of the Border for decades, the soundings about imposing it here in Scotland were so negative that the sensible, albeit tough for trout anglers especially, decision, which would have properly financed the sector for years to come, has been abandoned.

We assume this means that existing (albeit amalgamated and enlarged) river boards will be asked to take on managing all species, whereas at present, apart from the Tweed, they only manage salmon and sea trout.

Fisheries Management Scotland, the new successor (from ASFB and RAFTS) umbrella organisation for Scottish boards and trusts, will have much to do to try to manage the fall-out from the (now) largely abortive Wild Fisheries Review, and it could have no better CEO than Dr Alan Wells to guide them, together with Government officials, towards a revised management structure and, in due course, one supposes, a new much watered down Fisheries Bill.

The original Wild Fisheries Review, which has resulted in the current debacle, is wholly to blame. It is an indictment, if ever there was one, of Governments taking politically biased views of how things work, and must change, without ever looking at the facts. Andrew Thin was hired as their hatchet man, produced his report without ever examining the issues in detail, and attempted to impose politically motivated solutions.

He should be embarrassed at the cost, delay and countless hours wasted by huge numbers of people over the last 2 ½ years…...but I imagine he is not.

And in case there are those who say I am being wise after the event, by all means go back in the archived editorials to see what this column was saying throughout 2015.

I take no great pleasure in saying “I told you so”.

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Meanwhile, on the river, how are things looking in 2017?

“Typical February” is the answer, in that there are some springers, but not many…. so far.

Conditions have been a bit unsettled, and yet again the much heralded start of spinning on 15th February made not one jot of difference to the numbers caught, proving, if proof were needed, that if they are not there, it does not matter what you fish with.

Pleasingly, I hear of many being caught on fly, even post 15th February, which is encouraging.

Long may that continue, and as fish numbers hopefully increase as March hoves into view, there is much to look forward to.

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The observant will have noticed two new pages on Tweedbeats.

The first is “ About TFP”, or Tweed Flyfishing Preferred, which shows a list of those beats which have signed up to fish with a fly, except in those circumstances laid out in the Rules. The first one of those Rules is not to allow upstream spinning at any time.

There are several more main stem beats than those listed, who basically fish with a fly, but for their own reasons did not want to join the loose TFP association.

So far the only beat to show its spinning captures over past years is the Lees, just 21 salmon caught spinning over the last 3 years. It is to be hoped that other beats will keep differentiating records and publish them at the end of 2017.

The second new page is headed “Activities” and provides fishing visitors with a list of historic houses and gardens, shops, golf courses, cycling and birdwatching sites, walks etc. although it is a work in progress.

All this is designed to attract more visitors to the Borders and provide fishers and their companions with “other things to do and see” either on days when fishing is no good (eg in flood or on hot summer afternoons when it is best to leave the river until the evening), or for companions who do not want to fish and would like to be occupied enjoyably elsewhere.

Any more beats wanting to join Tweedbeats are most welcome.

The only cost of being on the site is an annual subscription, which at between £50 and £250 pa, depending on 5 year catch figures, is pretty good value for a site which gets nearly 40,000 different individuals visiting the site every year.

It is also the only site dedicated wholly to marketing, as opposed to letting, exclusively Tweed (no other rivers) salmon fishing.