22 March 2015 News/Editorial
There were many more encouraging signs on the river last week, with over 160 salmon caught and beginning to be more spread out, by far the best week so far.
With the forecast weather set reasonably fair, it would be nice to have some more good news on the fishing front in the coming week, putting the hangover gloom from 2014 and the continuing argy bargy from the Wild Fisheries Review firmly in the background.
As promised, this week I am reproducing comments from some of those who have been good enough to respond to recent articles in these pages on the Wild Fisheries Review.
What has been striking has been the complete absence of any voices supporting the controversial bits of what the Review proposes. I am not suppressing any views saying that what Andrew Thin and his colleagues propose is the way to go...….. there have been none.
Here is the selection, with grateful thanks to them all, and if you have time, why not try the Loch Lomond Balmaha anglers site (given below) under “Hot Topics”? You may, or may not, agree with it all, but there is no disguising the strength of feeling.
Here they are:
“I am not a salmon angler, my interest is trout. However, I have been directed towards your recent editorials by T&S and just want to congratulate you on your fight. Keep it up!!!!”
“Love the editorial - you're right, stuff them!”
“I am not a Tweed fisher, but was forwarded recently a copy of your writings taking to task the WFR and the recent farcical evidence taken by the committee supposedly attempting to justify their intentions to impose a raft of issues most of which are borne out by no scientific evidence or basis in fact. However the selected attendees have made a singularly ineffectual attempt to resist these inaccuracies. Indeed most seem to be more interested in pursuing their own personal agendas or keeping their heads down in the hope that they don't rock the boat to their own detriment.I am close to despair at the way this bunch of weaklings are wasting the only opportunity we'll ever get to focus efforts to save the salmon where it will make most difference. And CC&R certainly isn't where effort should be expended.So it was with a renewed sense of hope that I read your series of most excellent and humorous dismantlings of the case for CC&R as it relates to the Tweed, and that maybe there was someone other than our small band of Lomond fishers who are prepared and emminently able to publically stand against this madness. I hope you continue to demolish the CC&R case with similar aplomb, and that some of the selected targets might take the chance to extend their own education before they again meet.A few of us who are lifelong Lomond fishers, Balmaha regulars and past LLAIA Committee members recently contributed to attempts on www.balmaha-anglers.co.uk to gather support against CC&R, and you may find them supportive of your position. A few of us have already penned articles outlining where we think things are being steered towards a pre-determined outcome regardless of the available evidence.”
“Just catching up.
Two observations:
1. In 2011 (the year the guests came to the party very early) I was fishing a middle Tweed beat in mid November. Not promising, the river was full of stale fish. With one of the two boatmen stood by my shoulder I hooked a fish. We landed it. It was mint with long tailed sealice. It was a hen. It was also badly hooked. Without a word the boatman knocked it on the head and said to me "There are too many fish in this river already, take this home." He has been on the river for at least 40 years. I have known him for almost half that time. He knows his river.
2. If you Scots are no longer to be trusted with the river then it is time the English took back their bit.”
“Here is my opinion for what it is worth (probably not much). I have fished up and down the Tweed for a good few years and while no sort of expert have formed my own opinion of the river its management and the correct way to go.
I hate any idea of central/political control (invariably ignorant). The management of the river including Catch and release should be left to the 2 most interested parties,namely the RTC and the riparian owners who are not in my view a gang of blood crazed lunatics and have the future of salmon stocks very much at heart. They are after all dealing with their own finances, and jeopardising fish stocks won’t help that !!
The Tweed has catch and release right in my view. No fish killed till August at the earliest. Thereafter at the rods discretion (return the old lady/knock on the head occasional cock fish for the freezer).No fish killed in November at all. I would prefer there to be no fishing in that month. 90% of the fish caught are too stale and must suffer something that affects their activities on the redds.
Licensing fine provided the income is ring fenced by someone and used for improvement of salmon fishing throughout Scotland and the money does not just disappear into the pot of general taxation.
100% catch and release not necessary on a river like the Tweed. I believe the RTC could usefully be given the power to declare precisely the time when killing becomes acceptable. The big summer/early autumn run will show up at different times in different years. Let them make the decision each year as to when the stock of fish in the river has reached harvestable levels. Long winded. Sorry”
“Re the two points raised:
1. Licensing
I broadly accept the idea of two level licensing as in England BUT it seems unlikely that the sums raised would be hypothecated so there is no guarantee that the monies would flow back to support the rivers and the fishing environment. Additionally if the sums are as modest as you suggest unfortunately they will be eaten up by the massive cost of collecting the fees making my first point somewhat superfluous.
2. Catch & Release
I am not in favour of total catch & release. Stock management is important but should be a variable based on the actual levels of fish in a particular river. Some years it maybe that no restriction is necessary, others that limits are set or specific periods are excluded. Using numbered tags – as in Ireland – would allow strict management and could be issued/bought (note this may overcome the licensing issue) on a limited basis again depending on stock levels and time of the year. (This decision on how many being taken on a regular basis, perhaps not annually.) I begrudgingly accept C&R in the spring but look forward to taking home a salmon or two in the autumn.”
“I am not an owner of Scottish fishing but if I was I would be concerned about capital valuations and rods revenue should this be implemented. Equally, if I was employed on the river I might be concerned about my future. (Yet strangely, at least one ghillie to my knowledge is making a lot of noise about full catch & release.)”
“We would both support your suggestion for a rod licence (especially as we approach the concessions age!)
Where we don’t agree with each other is catch and release.
It wouldn’t stop me fishing but if she couldn’t keep a one or two of fish a year, she says she would stop fishing.
Now I don’t know if she really would go this far if “push comes to shove”, but she says she would.
Last season we landed 19 salmon and kept 1, which placated her, but being told she can never keep a fish is in her opinion, one step too far.
She feels that if we bring in mandatory total release, we will never repeal this even if things improve in the future.
Given that the decision making could well pass to a bunch of ill-informed bureaucrats, more likely to be influenced by the “cruelty to fish league”, I fully understand her attitude.
If Tweed retains full control of its own policies, then we would support anything that was decided for the river by RTC. If control is in the hands of “government”, then definitely not!
Hope others respond to your request for feedback – it will be interesting to see where opinion lies.”
“I have just read your editorial and agree with much of what you say. I would add that in the light of MSS's own data and report, the status of salmon and seatrout stocks 2013, there is very good evidence that salmon spawning stocks across Scotland are robust. Rod catches are increasing, according to the 5yr averages on the MSS website. The 5 year averages for nett upstream counts on the Logie counter on the N Esk are increasing despite 3 relatively poor years and considerably higher than 20 years ago. There is a voluntary release rate of 80% or so of rod caught fish across Scotland. The evidence just is not there to impose any further restrictions. It is almost certain that taken as a whole if we assume a similar exploitation rate by rods that numbers of spawning salmon in Scotland are higher now than at any time since records began. Of course some rivers are doing well and others badly. The Tweed is doing better than most. If there was serious intent by SG to improve abundance of salmon it would target measures where they are needed and leave those rivers doing well to carry on. To impose general C & R short changes both the haves and have nots; the have nots need specific targeted conservation measures aimed at their own bottlenecks in fresh water or coastal environments, the haves need to be left alone to do what they are clearly doing well.”
“The recent scheme on Loch Lomond has resulted in fewer fish being returned year on year since its introduction. 2012 (73%), 2013 (68%), 2014 (53%) – It seems to me that under the previous voluntary scheme anglers were coming round to the idea of returning fish (subject to peer pressure) – now that there is a tagging scheme some feel that is their right to take their “limit” and don’t think twice about it – this despite a scheme rewarding them tackle vouchers for returning fish. If anglers purchase a licence to kill fish then they WILL kill those fish when they catch them without a thought for conservation.” (extract from balmaha article)
“Firstly, many thanks for allowing us to share your views, it is greatly appreciated.
I’ve spoken to those who have written articles and we are unanimous in the view that we are happy for you to include a link to our site (balmaha) and to use any of the articles as you see fit – the wider the audience the better as far as we are all concerned. In addition, I am happy for you to mention me by name, in my capacity as former chairman of SANA’s MFC if you feel there would be a benefit for you to do so or it would carry more weight.
Please also see attached my own response to the consultation, and if there are pieces contained within that you could also use then, again feel free to use anything to your own benefit. The comments contained are directed mainly for our own system, however the subject of predation has far wider implications and in fact affects every fishery in Scotland to a greater or lesser degree.
You may see comments regarding the impact grey seals have, and the figures can be substantiated. The estimate of population is between 120 and 180,000 and was obtained by Callum Duck of St Andrews University and is in the public domain, as is the average of 5kgs of fish eaten daily. When you read the endless debate of whether rods or nets kill more salmon, it appears that those who are supposedly representing us as anglers are completely missing the point. Even assuming that migratory fish only make up 10 – 15% of the total that seals eat, then in three days the seals will have killed more than the entire rod and net catch combined for a season – and that’s taking a conservative estimate.”
“I pay for a licence in Norway, Russia and England & Wales. I would have no objection to paying a national licence fee in Scotland if it was clear how the money was going to be spent. My fear is it would lead to yet more burgeoning of the already far too over-weight Scottish Public Sector rather than finding its way back to funding direct actions to improve salmon fishing.I agree with much of your editorial. I don’t know the context in which the statements are made, but at face value they are ill judged. To me the C&R debate is symptomatic of the problem that the salmon fishing lobby has far too many small self-appointed representative groups and charities with no common purpose, strategy or frankly clue. They say things on my behalf without any mandate whatsoever. We could draw much from how more effective BASC is for shooters because they are effectively the voice of shooting; that is what salmon anglers desperately need.”
“Once again congratulations for your good editorial which has the merit of clarifying the debate.Being realistic and seeing no one yet ready to challenge the SG on salmon issues I am afraid that it will be difficult to stop the bureaucratic machine.Nevertheless on the issue of a licence fee this will not deter me to come to Scotland .Now on the 100 pc C&R my answer is simple : I stopped fishing the Dee when they made the no kill rule compulsory. And I was not the only one in my party to do so.And therefore I reserve my opinion if same applies to the Tweed.As a footnote I spend most of my fishing now in Russia Iceland and Norway .”
“It beggars belief that the Scottish Government is sticking its nose into Scottish game fishing. Anything the Scottish Government does in this country equates to farce. Now it is telling us that anglers are to blame for wiping out fish stocks and is about to wrangle 100% catch and release. I am a responsible game angler and have been for the past 44 years. I only keep odd fish for the table ( and that includes the “good old days”) cause that is the concept of game fishing and is why I fish. Am I now to be turned into a coarse fisherman. Will I still pay full rates for a days coarse Salmon fishing. Like hell I will. If this goes ahead in 2016 then I am finished with Salmon fishing. In a few years I will be retiring and had planned to do a lot of Salmon fishing but that hope is now hanging by a thread. It will be a loss to the Scottish angling industry in lost revenue for tickets and also the tackle industry for lost tackle sales. And I am not alone in this. A lot of other anglers I have been talking to are all thinking along the same lines. When somebody stops doing something there is no fanfare of trumpets, they just quietly drift away. And, as for a rod licence, they can stick that too. That is only an excuse for another tax. Does a tennis player pay a racket tax or a golfer a club tax. Think about it. My only advice would be for all Scottish gillies to get to the Job Centre ASAP for in a couple of years time they are all going to be out of work. The small numbers of anglers fishing will surely make it all unsustainable”
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