news/editorial

3 December 2017 - News/Editorial

We are indebted to William Younger for providing the coup de gras on 2017 Tweed salmon and sea trout rod catches.

Reported cumulative (within 90% accuracy) catches to 30th November 2017 were 6,162 salmon and 1,668 sea trout.

Because these figures omit some non-reporting main stem beats, and many fisheries on the tributaries, the estimate is that the totals could amount to 6,700 salmon and 1,900 seatrout.

The River Tweed Commission will publish the precisely correct figure just before the RTC’s AGM in early March 2018.

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A minor singer once sang something about facing “the final curtain”........ that curtain has, at last, come down on the 2017 salmon fishing season.

He went on to sing how he “would state his case, of which I’m certain”; lucky him, for nothing is certain, however we state the case, in our salmon world.

A two month break will serve us well, before rejoining battle, and the vagaries and troubles of our precious fish, in February 2018.

In terms of numbers, if that is your only criterion, 2017 was, well... “not a good year” hardly does it justice.

But in there somewhere, if I reflect hard enough, there was hope.

Parochial, self-interested anecdotes are seldom of general interest or applicability to the whole, but I cannot stop myself telling you about July here.

It was the best July we have ever had…..or at least this side of the industrial revolution.

We caught 60 magnificent salmon, all bar one on a fly. Most notably, there was not an obvious grilse amongst them; well, there was a 6 lber on 3rd July, but that early it could just as well be a small salmon. They averaged just under 11 lbs, and were all fantastic, fresh, hard fighting fish. I caught one or two of them, and could not understand why it always took 10-15 minutes to get them in…..but it was because they were big, fit and strong.

Exactly what you want as the parents of the next generation.

Remember how you/ we all used to obsess about those skinny, small grilse? Well, firstly there were no grilse in sight, skinny or otherwise, and, secondly, every salmon I saw was in prime, or even better than prime, condition.

It was also a joy to be fishing in the summer, not freezing to death in November, or fighting a westerly gale in October.

My reflections also take me to the angling reactions to such a disappointing year, which have ranged from outright anger to resigned, reluctant acceptance and even sorrow.

But what unites us all, regardless of how we react, is that we care so much for the future of our salmon, and of a pastime which we love. In the back of each of our minds, somewhere, is the fear that it is all coming to an end, and that the current extreme decline is just another nail in salmon fishing’s coffin.

I do not believe that.

The steadfast, unwavering adherence to good, well tried management principles, exercised consistently by the River Tweed Commission and Tweed Foundation over many years, now under the stewardship of Chairman, Douglas Dobie, and Chief Executive, Fay Hieatt, are seen by some, even by many, as complacency at a time when, they say, drastic action is required.

Instead of being congratulated for what they do on all our behalfs in extraordinarily difficult times, Douglas and Fay in particular, but the RTC and Tweed Foundation generally, are too often the object of whatever vilification and blame the “blamers” can dream up, based on no evidence whatever.

Inevitably the solutions promulgated by the critics centre around killing all seals and avian predators, and starting a hatchery. This is despite compelling evidence, both here and elsewhere, that a hatchery will make no difference, and that killing all avian predators and almost any seals will never be allowed by Governments, of whichever persuasion.

I started with some words from “My Way”; let me finish with Kipling.

“If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too…..”

The RTC and Tweed Foundation are doing all, and more, than they sensibly can to look after our river and its fish, and they are keeping their heads……

…. when many are losing theirs and blaming it on them.

Until February 2018.

Happy Christmas.