Angling Notes: Management policies and principles adopted by the Environment Agency Wales (EAW) in its National Salmon Strategy 10 years ago have made a positive impact towards improving the future of wild salmon, according to EAW fisheries manager Andy Schofield.
New regulations prohibiting the killing of spring salmon before June, encouraging greater use of catch and release and limiting unsustainable net fisheries have made a real difference, he said. In addition, voluntary controls have helped to raise the level of catch and release in Wales from less then 13 per cent in 1996 to more than 52 per cent last year.
Of course, exploitation is not the only reason salmon stocks remain under pressure. Two years ago, the EAW Salmon Stock Conservation Review identified agricultural land use and diffuse pollution, together with siltation, damaged river habitat and low flows, as contributory factors.
Since 2002, EAW and its partners have spent more than £10 million (€14.8m) on projects to address obstacles to migration. Communities are also taking steps to support their river environment, establishing trusts and projects, using grants and working on improvement programmes.
The River Taff is a good example where access has improved and pollution is now cleaned up. "However, many fisheries in Wales remain under pressure and there is still much work to be done. Our aim is to have the majority of salmon rivers supporting sustainable stocks," Schofield said.
With anglers spending millions of pounds annually on salmon and sea trout fishing in Wales, and fishing rights achieving a capital value of about £750 million (€1.1 billion), it is vital anglers and fishery owners have a say in the future of fisheries management.
Therefore, the EAW will be consulting with those interested in developing and refining its strategic approach to salmon management for the next 10 years.
To contribute to the consultation process, visit: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/ and go to the fisheries management homepage.
The Central Fisheries Board (CFB) has recently published the Wild Salmon Commercial and Angling Catch Statistics Report for 2005. The report provides valuable information in designing policies for the conservation of salmon and sea trout stocks in Ireland. Statistics show that the total number of salmon caught by all methods was 143,541; this represents a drop of 15.5 per cent on the total catch recorded in 2004. Overall, the number of salmon taken by all methods dropped by nearly 45 per cent from 2001 to 2005.
Last year, drift nets accounted for 70.5 per cent of the total catch, anglers took 15.6 per cent, draft nets accounted for 11.7 per cent, while the remaining 2.2 per cent was accounted for by other methods. The commercial catch at 121,180 salmon and 865 sea trout was 12.8 per cent under the total allowable catch allocated to the sector.
The angling catch was 22,361, a decrease of 15 per cent on the 2004 season. Almost a third (29.9 per cent) of the total angling catch was taken on the Moy River system. Catch and release figures indicate that 12 per cent were released, an increase of 3 per cent on the previous year. A total of 28,738 salmon rod licences were sold, representing anglers from 40 countries, of which 59 per cent were from the Republic.
David Mackey, chairman of CFB, commended the fisheries boards and the Standing Scientific Committee of the National Salmon Commission and all the stakeholders in the sector for their dedicated work in making this scheme such a great success.
The report is available to download in pdf format at http://www.cfb.ie/pdf/salmstat05.pdf
Nigel Rush, manager of Kylemore Abbey fishery, sends me a sad tale. "This fish had lived for at least 12 years under the bridge at the Abbey and was a great source of amusement to the millions of tourists over the years. Fed constantly with remnants of sandwiches, it is no surprise she attained a weight of 3kg.
"It was a hard call to make but she had developed cataracts in both eyes and we felt the time had come to have her immortalised in a glass case. She fell to a Claret Dabbler with a hint of Kylemore Cherry cake attached! I'll be going through the specimen channels as she was caught in the river section . . . I don't know whether Cherry Cake qualifies, let's call it a Cherry Dabbler! I've taken some scales to ascertain her age and to find out whether she had been a sea trout and reverted to a brownie. Her length was 35 inches and depth seven inches."