Current Issues
MORAY FIRTH SEA TROUT PROJECT
The Moray Firth Sea Trout Project is now under way and Marcus Walters has been employed as the full time Project Officer. This is a collaborative project, combining the efforts of river Boards and Fishery Trusts and many angling associations within the Moray Firth catchments. The project aims to address the imbalances in sea trout management, collate existing information on sea trout stocks and identify where further data is required to facilitate improved management practices.
In the past the Deveron has been a very important river providing in some years more than 25% of all rod caught sea trout in the Moray Firth.However, in the past five years, catches have been particularly poor with the 2007 rod catch (593 sea trout) being 59% below the ten year average (1992 -2001).
Marcus is aiming to reverse this trend by researching the rivers around the Moray Firth, examining possible reasons behind the decline and creating mangement plans to redress the situation. He will be contacting all angling associations, ghillies and proprietors who may have useful historical records on sea trout and long standing experience of how sea trout numbers have declined locally.
Keep Gyrodactylus salaris out of Scottish rivers
What is Gyrodactylus salaris ?
Gyrodactylus salaris is a parasite which does kill salmon.
How dangerous is it ?
In some Norwegian rivers infested with the parasite salmon stocks have been lost forever. Therefore, it is essential that this parasite is not introduced to the British Isles.
How might it get here ?
The parasite is very hardy, capable of surviving long periods in fishing gear. It is possible that a single specimen, imported by accident, would be capable of starting an epidemic in this country.
What can you do ?
Anglers must take special steps to ensure that their equipment is not contaminated. Anglers travelling from areas which are not designated as free of Gyrodactylus salaris should take precautions. All fishing equipment should be thoroughly cleaned, then treated, to kill any parasites by either :
- drying at a minimum of 20 degrees C for two days
- heating for an hour at 60 degrees C
- deep freezing for a day
- immersion in a solution suitable for killing Gyrodactylus salaris for 10 minutes. Chemical solutions recommended are Virkon (1%), sodiuum chloride (3%), sodium hydroxide (0.2%).
Before fishing the rivers you should complete an Anglers Declaration relating to the cleanliness of your tackle. The form can be downloaded here.
You should obtain a valid certificate from the relevant fish health regulatory authority in the country of origin or at the point of entry in GB.
Information on the Code of Practice for Gyrodactylus salaris and a link to download a copy can be seen here.
For more information, contact : Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, PO Box 101, Victoria Road, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB. Telephone 01224 876544. www.marlab.ac.uk
Water Directive
When the UK joined the EU, policies, regulations and directives have come to have a direct bearing on rural life.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) will have major implications for farmers and the rural community. The Directive came into operation in December 2000 and it's implementation will change the way water and river systems are managed and how they are viewed and protected. Recent statements by the Scottish Executive underline the importance for farming and the rural community; 'The scope of the WFD is not restricted to lochs, rivers or coastal waters - it requires consideration from any human intervention which might affect the quality of water'. The directive is not just aimed at water bodies but to any activity which will affect the quality of water.
The aims of the WFD are:
- To ensure that waters and activities are managed and controlled in a co-ordinated way.
- Ensure that statutory requirements achieve ecological targets.
- The restoration and protection of wetlands.
- Management of river basins - the area of land from which all water flows towards the sea
The river basins are the rock on which the new system will be built. Catchment management is seen as an essential principle of the directive. Successful management will be monitored by observing plants and animals which live in the natural waters - they will be the key indicators of maintaining ecological status. The task of implementing the directive will fall into the hands of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency consulting with SNH, local authorities, district salmon fishery boards, the Forest Authority and the community.
The costs of implementing this massive task in Scotland alone amounts to between £0.8bn and £1bn and the last date by which 'good status' is to be achieved is December 2027.
Benefits will be an improvement in the quality of water, recreation, angling and general amenity.
Canoeists
Information to be provided