Some of you will have doubtless been monitoring the Scottish Governments work on the kill licence and the management of Salmon fishing in Scotland. I've not said much about it here to date, but all Salmon fishers in Scotland should be aware of the ramifications.......
If not, then you should read this:
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00486588.pdfBut you need to read this first:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Salmon-Trout-Coarse/fishreform/licenceOnce you've done that this classification will make some sense:
And thus this key should make sense.... I've colour coded it for quick reference
There is time yet for changes to be made, perhaps anyway.... but here's the thing I suspect there's going to be some issues.
The Beauly system has been designated as a Grade 3 water which, when you look at the 'Package of conservation measures' means that it will immediately come under this management action:
"Exploitation is unsustainable therefore management actions required to reduce exploitation for 1 year i.e. mandatory catch and release (all methods). Production of a conservation plan is required in consultation with Marine Scotland."
The key part is the management actions and I understand that locally there's been considerable reaction to the prospects of a mandatory catch and release policy across an entire system. If we look at the Beauly as an example there are three rivers (Glass, Farrar and Beauly) that make up the majority of the system. That's many proprietors, a fishery board, a trust and an angling club all likely wishing to formulate a response to, and be part of, a management plan that would seem to already be too late to prevent anything other than compulsory C&R.
To me it would seem to be folly in the extreme to have disparate responses from the Lower Beauly Fishings, the BAC, the proprietors on the Glass and Farrar when we should be speaking with one representative voice. But we are not and I can only presume that if it's every man for himself here it's likely to be similar elsewhere - but not everywhere. It is not the role of a fisheries trust to deal with this, it's the management board and I rather feel this requires rapid consultation/formulation of a response.
Additionally the conservation plan the system will need to lodge will require to be practical, representative and be based on the realities of management in a complex hydro system. But that's just the Beauly, what about elsewhere in Scotland
That map must make some uncomfortable viewing in some places and from where I'm sat it's pretty gutting. Why
Well although I am happy with 100% C&R (and I continue to fish 100% C&R for Salmon and Sea Trout) the choice to take a fish if I should chose to do so (within the rules of the fishery) have pretty much just been taken away for a minimum of one year. Only an idiot would make that one year by the way, for a measured indication of success you'd be as well making that a decade.
I digress. Whatever way you look at it is only right that a balanced view and response is lodged with the Scottish Government via the designated authority - if we can ever establish who that representative body is. SANA
Errrrrr........
In truth there are more Salmon being returned in the rivers of Scotland now than ever before, which is great news unless you happen to be part of the team that put the review together and came up with the proposals we face - it smells of work assembled on a rotten foundation to me. Further more these 'kill' limits do not address the fundamental issues of what is happening to Salmon from post smolt to first run to spawn.
So how will this ban be enforced
I anticipate poaching/rule breaking will increase as anglers, no longer able to join angling clubs or pay for private fishing, will take a chance on not getting caught. Facts are the vast majority of Scotlands waters do not have anywhere near enough bailiffs nationally as by and large no-one can afford to pay for them now so it follows we cannot afford to pay for them in the future either.
Will Scotland as a whole go like the Dee did (initially) on the introduction of C&R
Some beats were like ghost towns back then and that C&R model applied nationally in 2016
could be a disaster for the Scottish game angling industry. I'm not saying it will, just that it could.
What about clubs
I suspect that many clubs on Category 3 rivers will struggle to retain members - let's face it many do knock fish on the head. So if the membership count of a club dwindles then they will eventually become 'spent' and unable to pay their way. The grim reality is that our sport is not attracting as many youngsters to the sport as it did. Those we do have are generally 'fostered' in clubs to encourage them to stick with the sport, without the support structure of clubs is it plausible that in time angling (for salmon anyway) will become something akin to fox hunting
The Scottish Government is stuck between a rock and a hard place, but I honestly find their classification of systems beyond comprehension with the figures I have seen.
Wait a moment.... didn't I say something about a rotten foundation earlier
Catch returns,beat returns and DSFB figures
must have been used to come up with the planned categorisation of waters - mustn't they
Of course, they're always accurate.....
Don't get me wrong, I am entirely behind C&R as part of a management process, but it is
one part of a
many tiered response. I don't see anything else coming from the Scottish Government on what else they plan to do about these issues (or Sea Trout, for that matter) and frankly that pisses me off no end. If you want to do something nationally to conserve and protect Salmon then do your homework first and introduce well conceived plans for generations to come, not half arsed nonsense such as those I have just read. My two cents.
H
