Tagging programme planned for Clyde pike

MY STORY earlier this week commenting on shark tagging in the drive to increase our knowledge and understanding of endangered fish species, has prompted an interesting response from one of the founders of the new River Clyde website.

A cracking 26 lb pike from the River Clyde

John Blair says that Clyde pike are soon to be the target of a tagging programme.  He reports that the river has delivered some spectacular pike catches in the 12-20lb class this season and one 26 lb cracker is featured on their new site.

“Many of us believe that Nature has its own mechanics and that pike, game and coarse fish have successfully inhabited the same waters for millennia, striking an ecological balance,”  Blair says.

“Despite our ideologies, many fellow game anglers are still intent on fishing for, and killing, every pike in the water in an attempt to exterminate the freshwater predator.”

Blair says the new Clyde forum with more than 200 members, has received permission and encouragement from Lamington & District Angling Association to carry out the programme. If successful, it will be extended to other beats.

The Clyde website has exceeded all of the organisers’ expectations with more than three times the anticipated number of members signing up from as far afield as Sweden, the US and Australia.

Blair adds: “The response we have had, and continue to receive, is overwhelming, and hugely encouraging.”

Related Story:

Clyde website starts to reel them in . . .

 

Scotland’s dry rivers ‘uninhabitable’ for salmon, says The Times

IT’S THE dry season for news. Those  summer holiday dog days when newspapers up and down the land trawl through the cuttings and weekly newspapers for a useful story to follow up and fill all those gaping empty column inches.

ALL ROUND PERFECTION: Richard Allen's 21-lb fresh-run River Lochy salmon fell to a size 8 gold-shank Cascade double on the Croy pool

So readers of The Times – at least those who still pay to read it  – might be forgiven for giving more than a second glance at a story yesterday which suggests that Scotland’s rivers have all but dried up making them “virtually uninhabitable” to fish, especially precious salmon.

The story reported that anglers are finding it “nigh impossible to reel anything in, and of those fish that are found, some have had their bellies rubbed raw by the gravel of the river bed.” It quoted river owners in Angus and Kincardine bemoaning the poor water levels and went on to extract an anodyne comment from a hapless VisitScotland official who said: “We hope that this situation doesn’t detract from anyone’s enjoyment of their trip to Scotland.”

There may have been some spluttering into Home Counties breakfast teas at the prospect of having to forego one’s spot of salmon fishing next month if the situation doesn’t improve. But the reality, as anyone with access to a river bank, or even an internet browser, can see is somewhat less hysterical.

Robert White’s Tay Salmon Fishing Blog acknowledges tougher conditions in the catchment last week but still records 65 salmon and 11 sea trout compared with 98 the previous week. On the Tweed, the Paxton netsmen had their best day of the season on July 12 with over 100 fish on the tide – mainly sea trout, but still more than 20 salmon.

On the west coast the Snizort on Skye has had a very productive start to the season  according to Derek Dowsett – and delivered four salmon in quick succession earlier this month to my occasional rod-wielding companion Richard Allen, the best a 9lb hen fish. Allen struck again on the Lochy last week with a memorable 21-pounder. The Inverness-shire river, far from being under dire threat from salmon farming plague, as some would have it, recorded “perfect running conditions for summer salmon and grilse”. John Veitch reported seven caught on Monday, three on Tuesday, three covering Wednesday and Thursday . . . and so on. A total of nine salmon and 13 grilse – all in excellent condition.

Returning from a trip to the western isles of Scotland on Sunday, I had to agree it was impossible not to see, as Veitch noted, that virtually all the spate rivers were in perfect condition for migrating fish.

Is The Times taking on the tabloids? Is this the quality of reporting the ‘top people’s paper’ readership will want to pay for?  Their staff really should get out more  . . .

 

Fish tagging: why we should all take notice

THE Scottish sea angling pressure group SSACN (Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network) is setting the example for all anglers about how to mount a concerted and sustained campaign to improve their sport.

Its team of volunteers works tirelessly conceiving and running events  – like the hugely successful June Sharkatag weekend which injects an estimated £50,000 into the Solway economy – participates in long-running Government working parties, manages an essential online library and news resource and constantly acts as a thorn in the conscience of all-too-often delirious politicians.

You should do yourself a favour and read the latest review of its activities. It is, without much argument, the biggest single influence on the preservation of sharks in Scottish waters right now. Not the most cuddly of creatures, but SSACN is helping to give them a better chance of holding on to their increasingly-fragile habitat than almost anyone else in authority.

The report also contains a short story written by one of their supporters, about his unique experience catching, tagging and releasing different species of fish. What makes his tale so important, is that eight of the fish he caught were recaptures, providing essential data for scientists about the lifespan and movements of the various fish.

Tagging is a simple procedure, but one to which the game fishing lobby, now firmly focused on catch-and-release, should surely be giving serious consideration.

 

Why I prefer my Hong Kong fish Cantonese-style

Fishing - Hong Kong style: the Cheung Chau fleet

I HAVE been away, hence the gap in news postings. In China. Well, Hong Kong to be exact.

The former British colony continues to thrive under Special Administrative Area communist status and maintains its unique blend of Oriental charm, ruthless business drive and pursuit of coin, combined with slavish observance of style and latest designs. Any notion you might have that this spectacular sub-tropical island and its neighbouring mainland New Territories are in any sense Third World, should be dismissed right away.

For me Hong Kong puts Scotland to shame in most regards; mountain scenery is an integral feature of the cityscape; unspoiled beaches; shopping on a scale which makes Glasgow look like a beginner, litter-free streets; cheap efficient public transport from shooglie trams to all-night ferries to buses, a staggeringly efficient underground service and copious taxis. They still drive on the left. And I defy you not to find a restaurant out of the city’s 10,000 or so eateries capable of satisfying your palette and pocket at almost any hour of the day or night.

If you like your climate hot (35 deg and humid) during the summer, you’ll feel at home, though air pollution is a weakness and cause for growing concern since the area is downwind of some of China’s most industrialised regions to the north.

New Territories pier fishing: just turn up and cast out

Sadly angling, is not a major pastime. Freshwater lakes and reservoirs abound, but fly-fishing is almost unheard of.  Sea fishing, however, is different. The south China seas still yield an income for a large proportion of the population whether it be from commercial trawling or simply hand-lining from a small dory. For many village communities, like Tai O on the edge of Lantau, or the larger Cheung Chau it remains a key occupation.

But you are still welcome to sit on the shore almost anywhere away from the unpleasant main harbour area, tackle up and cast out. You are very unlikely not to bring something home for tea. Personally I prefer my Hong Kong fish as served up Cantonese-style at Cheung Kee in downtown Wanchai and to save my angling for other parts of the world.

 

Opinion: Why it’s your turn to play politics with salmon

FED UP with the mealy-mouthed political wrangling in the big election debate? Take the increasingly cynical view that it’s all a bit of a waste of time?

Well if you have ever enjoyed a day’s salmon or sea trout fishing on a Scottish river, and think politics doesn’t really matter when it comes to having a day out on the bankside, you should take a glance at the Government’s report on mixed stock fisheries and be very worried indeed.

 

New Clyde website starts to reel them in

THE River Clyde, one of the most famous rivers in the world, is a magnet for anglers, particularly its mid and upper reaches.  Its reputation as a salmon fishery is also recovering.  So a single website catering for the diverse needs of thousands of fishermen who take to its banks each year, is long overdue.

 

2009: a ‘moderately poor year’ for our salmon

IF THERE is a single publication which presents a clear and balanced view of the health and welfare of Scotland’s migratory game fish, it is the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards’ (ASFB) annual review.

Launched last year in a new format, this report should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the future of salmon and sea trout in our waters. The 2010 review, just published, contains a wealth of valuable statistics and level-headed analysis by those at the coal face and offers much-needed perspective in a climate too often clouded by uninformed comment, speculation and occasional hysteria.

 

Our seas: two views of the future

TWO KEY marine planning publications have emerged within the last few days, each of which has direct implications for anglers.

 

Chapter 7 – The Tax Man and the Telephone

So you want to know what’s behind all those Inland Revenue customers who never get through to the telephone help service? Thinking of putting your tax affairs online? Read on and ponder as Not Exactly Fishing reveals the reality of everyday dealing with the Revenue via the internet.

 

‘Sword of Damocles’ over future of wild Scottish salmon

Wild salmon: S&TA nine-point action plan for survival

THE WILD salmon lobby today accused fish farmers and the Government of holding a sword of Damocles over the head of one of Scotland’s most iconic natural resources.

In the latest of a series of increasingly belligerent attacks on the multi-million pound aquaculture industry, game fishery campaigners claim they have amassed ground-breaking scientific evidence of “a devastating catalogue of malpractice” in the way salmon farming is adversely impacting migratory fish and the marine environment.

In its report into scientific studies on the environmental impact of fish farming, the Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA), the UK’s leading game fish conservation charity, calls for a nine-point “survival plan” to be implemented immediately.

Paul Knight, S&TA chief executive, said: “Aquaculture practised sustainably can offer enormous benefits to mankind and significantly reduce pressure on our precious wild oceanic stocks.

“But the scientific literature unequivocally demonstrates that fish farms, as presently constructed and operated, are having a disastrous impact on native fisheries, the wider environment and the many public benefits associated with it.”

The report, 2010: Year Zero for Wild Scottish Salmon? and its findings were pointedly dismissed by the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, the leading trade body, as a “rehash of ill-informed information from 20 years ago.”

Dr John Webster, technical director of the SSPO, a fish biologist and himself a lifelong angler, said:

Unfortunately the S&TA is stepping into areas that it has no understanding of whatsoever. There seems to be a perception that if you remove fish-farming entirely from the equation, everything will be fine. Things have changed since the days when you could catch 12 fish before breakfast.”

He said there was nothing in the report that the industry had not heard before.

Today’s report is backed by Fish Legal, the ASFB and RAFTS. It comes just days after a Scottish Government announcement of new proposals to help streamline the planning process for more fish farms which the £367million-a-year industry wants to see expand at 3.5% a year for the next five years.

It also follows hard on the heels of the escape into Loch Lochy, one of Scotland’s most pressurised wild salmon catchments, of thousands of juvenile fish from a Marine Harvest farm.

Janina Gray, S&TA head of science

S&TA head of science, Janina Gray said today:

The evidence is clear that aquaculture can have a significantly negative impact, in some areas, on wild salmon, sea trout and their environment. We must . . . take action before it’s too late”

The S&TA pledges to do “everything possible” to ensure the survival of wild game fish and calls on the Scottish Government and farming industry to respond to the challenge urgently.

Its nine-point plan proposes:

• Universal use of enclosed systems for fish rearing
• Adherence to the EU’s Precautionary Principle on habitat protection
• Development of an effective sea lice dispersal model
• Creation of a list of ecologically and economically sensitive sites
• A ban on new farm sites in these areas
• An experimental relocation of a marine salmon farm away from wild fish migration routes
• Environmental impact assessments for all new fish farm applications
• Smolt farms outlawed from any active salmonid river
• Mandatory stocking of sterile farm fish

The war of words exposes the weaknesses of industry/environmental working groups and looks certain to create unwanted political tensions for the Holyrood Government as it moves towards an election next year since it pits wealthy and influential game fishing interests against commercial salmon farming. Both sides support thousands of rural jobs.

It will also test rural affairs minister Richard Lochhead’s attempts to walk the delicate tightrope between being seen as both a protector of the environment and a facilitator of marine and aquaculture exploitation.

A Scottish Government spokesman said tonight:

“We are currently considering the document produced by the Salmon & Trout Association and will respond in due course once we have had time to assess their detailed report and discuss it with Marine Scotland.

“The Scottish Government is committed to a thriving aquaculture industry, where both farmed fish and wild fishing interests can develop in a responsible and sustainable manner. We have already created a new group to improve fish health and disease control and our Renewed Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture is already making strides forward in a spirit of cooperation.”

Related stories:

Tensions heighten . . .

Marine Harvest pledges co-operation . . .

ASFB calls for Tesco to act . . .

Angry row over wild salmon stocks claim . . .