Reports from the Board

DECEMBER 2007

 he 2007 season, while patchy for some beats, has been pretty good overall. Returns show 4281 salmon and grilse caught, which ranks as the third best total over the past ten years, and puts us comfortably ahead of the 10 year average of 3150. However, the sea trout position remains bleak with only 593 recorded on the whole river. This remains worryingly below the five year average of around 625.

One major disappointment has been the slippage once again in our catch and release statistics. Based on the data we have received to date, we returned 47% of our salmon and grilse and 57% of our sea trout in 2007. We really must do better. Like it or not, catch and release is now the established benchmark for any river’s conservation credentials. The dramatic recovery on the Dee is widely attributed to their policy of returning every fish over a period of several years. We all know the arguments for and against, but the simple fact is that the Dee is held up as incontrovertible evidence that catch and release is both effective and can provide huge rewards for the future.

Our neighbouring rivers have grasped the concept with great gusto. The Spey claim to have returned 71% of salmon caught in 2007, similar to last year (although, curiously, their figure for sea trout returned was only 53%, despite similar trends in the catch statistics to our own).

Looking at the catch and release statistics for the Spey, Don, Findhorn and Deveron, we had, as recently as 2002, the best record of them all. Over recent years, however, our neighbours have overtaken us and we now trail in last place, returning less than 50% of our salmon (about the same as 5 years ago) against an average for the four rivers of over 60%. While our sea trout record is better, we need to improve substantially our record on returning salmon and grilse. The national figures for 2006 showed that 55% of the total of rod caught salmon and grilse and 66% of the spring rod catch were returned. These are figures we should be aiming to at least equal.

In this context, your Board debated long and hard over whether or not we should tighten up our voluntary code, or even move to a compulsory ruling via the available statutory instrument. The latter, to my mind, would be a recipe for disaster, inviting conflict as well as being impossible to police.

We should bear in mind that the voluntary code is just that. It attempts to cater to a broad church – in other words, it aims to be equally acceptable to the day ticket person or school boy who fishes just one day a year, as well as to the serious anglers who fish many beats over many weeks throughout the season. As such, it is never going to be perfect, nor is it going to cover adequately every circumstance.

In the event, as contracts containing the existing code had already been sent out to clients by some of the larger fisheries, it was decided to leave the code unchanged for this year. However, we will have to give serious consideration to a general tightening up of the voluntary code for the 2009 season should our record not improve.

Proprietors are encouraged, therefore, to ask their fishermen to exercise restraint, particularly with regard to spring fish and sea trout. Ideally, all should be returned. Some would argue strenuously for the return of all hen fish as a matter of course throughout the year. If the widespread abuses of the spirit of the code continue as reported last year, we will have no option but to make the rules much more restrictive and more in line with the draconian conditions now imposed by many of our neighbours. This is emphatically not a route your Board wishes to take. Our river has traditionally been a friendly, relaxed place on which to fish and its management reliant on mutual trust between riparian owners, tenants, associations and visiting anglers. We hope to keep it that way.

So, I appeal to proprietors and fishermen alike to take a more responsible attitude towards their quarry and ensure that our catch and release figures for 2008 are much improved. I am particularly anxious to avoid the need for any form of legal restriction which will only serve to curtail the enjoyment of our sport. I would just ask that each fisherman give some thought to the future – every fish returned is a potential source of more fish in the years to come. We need to play our part in being seen to be making every effort to reverse the depressing long term decline in the wild salmon population. If we do not, we will ultimately lose the right to manage our own river in the way we see fit, and the consequences of that are unlikely to be as angler-friendly as the system we have now.

Meanwhile, your Board has to deal with a seemingly endless list of potential threats to the well being of the river system – everything from lighting up bridges at the mouth of the river to massive wind farm developments in the headwaters and the proposed re-introduction of beavers! This latter initiative seems particularly insane as beavers have been an unmitigated disaster for salmon fisheries, forests and farms in almost every country in Europe where these re-introductions have occurred in recent years. Not only do they severely restrict the passage of migratory fish, but they cause widespread flooding and lay waste both arable crops and woodland in their territories. The pilot project for Scotland has rather cunningly been sited on a river which does not contain any salmon, presumably a cynical manoeuvre to head off the fisheries lobby. The case against re-introduction will be all the harder without demonstrable proof of the damaging impact they will have.

However, one piece of good news is that the new Scottish Rural Development Programme contains a strong emphasis on improving water quality. One would hope that there will be a decent sum of money available for riparian projects and that these will rank highly in the pecking order in what is likely to be a harshly competitive selection process.

We have signed up, along with the Deveron, Bogie & Isla Rivers Trust, to the Moray Firth Sea Trout Partnership which is setting up a medium term research programme to determine the causes of the marked decline in sea trout across the region. This is a concerted effort to derive a regional strategy to rescue our sea trout. It involves Boards, Trusts, Angling Associations as well as generous individuals and we wish it every success.

Also, we have been asked to contribute to Professor Todd’s work at Strathy Point. While the mixed-stock net fishery has been closed, it is proposed that his study of  ocean climate impacts on the growth and survival of Atlantic salmon continue. While his research to date has focused primarily on grilse (he would argue vociferously for returning all hen grilse!) it is hoped that some of his work may be directed at sea trout survival as well.

Finally, I would like to extend our thanks to all those who work tirelessly for the good of our river and who contribute so much to the enjoyment of those who come to fish here. I sincerely hope that 2008 will turn out to be another good year for salmon and that we will see a turn around in the fortunes of our sea trout.

 SEPTEMBER 2007

The Board’s accounts for the year were presented to the annual meeting of proprietors which took place on Friday 21st September, following the autumn board meeting. I am pleased to report a surplus for the year of £9,342 which has substantially repaired last year’s deficit of £11,212, caused, in large part, by the costs associated with representing the river’s interests at the Public Inquiry into the proposed Clashindarroch wind farm.

Fortunately, the new Minister, Jim Mather, saw fit to agree with the Reporter’s strong recommendation against this potentially highly damaging development, possibly the biggest threat to your river since Aberdeenshire Council’s attempt to dam the upper Deveron in the Cabrach in the 1960’s to increase the Aberdeen water supply.

However, just as we were patting each other on the back, another mega-project appeared on the scene – this time for 60 turbines on Scaut Hill on Glenfiddich, which bisects the catchments of the rivers Blackwater and Fiddich. It is too early to judge the likely impact of this development, but, once again, in pure construction terms, it is simply massive. Your Board and Trust are already on the case, and, thankfully, this time round, we have someone else, in the form of the Spey, with whom to share the load.

Owing to an initial administrative mix up, we were very late in being informed about the scoping study for this proposal. However, the Trust team is to be congratulated for knuckling down and producing our response under an almost impossible deadline and at an exceptionally busy time of year.

It is perhaps worth reiterating that the Board is not, as some would have it, “anti-wind farm” – there are several wind farms operating in the catchment with which the Board has no issue. The Board only becomes involved where the fisheries’ interest is likely to be severely compromised, as with the proposed plan for Clashindarroch which would have had a devastating impact on the upper reaches of the Bogie.

The Trust has been exceptionally busy in recent months on extended habitat works. Programs for the removal of obstructions are being drawn up for the Garrel and Davidston Burns, and substantial alterations to the barrier formed above the Linn Pot are being planned. In addition to a major hogweed spraying exercise over the summer, several badly eroded stretches of the Isla and Bogie have been improved with “willow spilling” and the provision of new cattle waterings. Our thanks go to the farmers involved for their enthusiasm and commitment to these projects.

The hatchery had an extremely successful summer, and just short of 255,000 fed fry have been released, primarily into formerly sterile stretches of river where either obstructions have been removed or juvenile fish habitat substantially enhanced. I was, personally, delighted that the Trust saw fit to release some fry into stretches of the Allt-Venney and Markie burns where I have carried out large areas of riparian woodland creation and improvement over the past couple of years.

In August, at an Extraordinary Meeting, The Association of Salmon Fishery Boards successfully pleaded its case for more funding to cope with the ever increasing burden of bureaucracy now foisted on the management of rivers. Unfortunately, this will mean a substantial hike in our subscription rate as they move from a rateable value based system to a “per fish caught” levy. As one of Scotland’s most prolific rivers, our subscription will increase more than most. While this is a most unwelcome increase in our costs, we are, to some extent, the victims of our own success in that our catch records have held up surprisingly well over the years against other rivers.

Once again, however, a poor season for sea trout is causing grave concern. While many are convinced the problem lies at sea, this will not prevent us doing everything humanly possible to improve “in-river” habitats for both adult and juvenile fish. In addition, we will try our utmost to secure sea trout breeding stock for the hatchery.

I would like to thank all those who have helped spread the word about Gyrodactylus salaris – there remains much to be done, particularly in educating other river users such as canoeists etc about the dangers of using equipment that has been used on other waterways, especially overseas. It seems absurd that the onus of keeping this potentially devastating disease at bay should fall so heavily on the shoulders of private sector fisheries’ interests – yet another sad example of the chronic lack of leadership from our national conservation agencies.

You may remember that in the last newsletter I wrote about the threat to our native wild fish populations posed by rainbow trout. I also wrote to all the relevant government and conservation agencies on the same subject. The result has been a deafening silence – once again, it seems it is down to us and us alone to safeguard our rivers and their nationally important wild fish populations.

In this context, there have been disturbing reports of some fishermen openly flouting our voluntary catch and release code. Our code is deliberately set at more generous levels than those prevailing on many other rivers as our fishermen, by and large, have an exemplary record in exercising restraint. Indeed, the Deveron used to rank near the top of the annual tables for the proportion of rod caught fish released back into the river. Practices such as those prevalent at Netherdale, where 38 out of 44 fish caught recently were returned, used to be common throughout the river. While our record on sea trout returns remains good, recent FRS data shows a pretty poor result for salmon. Our previous good record is being undermined and we are beginning look seriously out of line with many of our neighbouring rivers. I would urge all riparian owners to take a close interest in what goes on in their fisheries and to prevent the actions of a few greedy individuals spoiling the future of our fishing for everyone – the only possible result of such selfish and inconsiderate behaviour will be the introduction of a compulsory code, followed shortly thereafter by further severe curtailment of the fishing privileges we have all become accustomed to enjoy. If these reports persist, we will have no option but to name and shame the perpetrators.

On a more positive note, there has been an excellent run of fish this back end, and many of you will have enjoyed some excellent days fishing. I would urge you to continue to support your Trust which does excellent work and is there to help you look after your river and ensure an abundance of fish for future generations. My thanks and appreciation go to all who work so hard to maintain our river system in such good health and enable so many anglers to enjoy first class sport on our waters.

Malcolm Hay
Chairman of the Board