Scotland’s Ladies International team saw off all the home nations competition this year at the Lake of Mentieth on 19th June. They caught 65 fish weighing 147lbs and one ounce. England came second with 55 fish weighting 111bs and 12 ounces. Third were Ireland with 39 fish weighing 86lbs and 9 ounces. Wales brought up the rear with 31 fish weighting 68lbs and 11 ounces.
| August 18, 2008 |
The Open Championship is a competition open to all people who are either individual members of the Scottiosh Anglers National Association (SANA) or members of Clubs affiliated to SANA. The aim of the event is to encourage people to try competition angling and to generate funds to support the wide spectrum of work carried out by SANA to benefit game angling in Scotland.
The dates for the 2008 competitions are: Heat 1 Monday 2nd June; Heat 2 Monday 23rd June (evenings); with the Final all day on Monday 18th August.
The Scottish Government has announced details of its Framework for Freshwater Fisheries at the Game Fair in Scone in Perth. It puts forward a new strategy for development of freshwater angling on Scotland’s lochs and rivers. We have around 31,000 lochs and 50,000 kilometres of river. The plan aims to support the spectrum of fishery management through funding and legislation (though it should be said at this point that significant new funding is not anticipated at this time). The plan has identified eight priority projects including education, youth coaching, fishery district amalgamation and tourist market research and promotion.
Tony Andrews, Executive Director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust welcomed the initiative as ‘a huge step forward’, saying that ‘it is absolutely essential that we manage our national fisheries in a sustainable way’. In warning the industry and the angling community not to expect direct government funding to develop the sport, he added, ‘THere is little doubt that the punter wiull have to pay’.
Ronnie Picken, Chair of the Scottish Anglers’ National Association which governs trout angling, raising the issue of the £120 million of annual income generated for Scotland by recreational angling, said, ‘I think the government has to look kindly on the sport. But I think is it only right that anglers should contribute to its develop,ent and that means brown trout and coarse fishermen having to pay more.
Launching the initiative at Scone, Richard Lochhead, Rural Affairs Minister, noted that it was both significant and encouraging for the future that so many Scottish fishing interests had worked closely together in developing the framework.
Good to see the results of the Conservation of Atlantic Salmon in Scotland project (CASS). Four and a half years work has already gone into the project which will be over by July this year. SNH are running a two-day conference today and tomorrow , assessing what’s been done and what’s been learned. All of this will help to shape future conservation measures to protect our Atlantic salmon population. The species is recognised by the EC Habitats Directive as a threatened species. While none of Argyll’s rivers were included in the CASS project, it focused on nine major Scottish rivers: the Dee, Spey, Tweed, Tay, South Esk, Bladnoch, Oykel and Moriston.
Most of us anglers worry about things like obstacles to the salmon getting in to and up the rivers; commercial netting on the rivers and on the access routes to them; extraction of water from the rivers; silting from run-offs from forestry schemes; gravel extraction; grazing farm beasts breaking down river banks etc. The project’s actions seem to have made a difference on these fronts in modest trial schemes on the test rivers.
All the big boys are at the SNH conference on the Tay. Michael Russell, the Environment Minister has opened it and Argylll man Colin Galbraith, SNH’s Director of Policy and Advice addressed it. Let’s hope they keep their eyes on this ball. Our Atlantic salmon need serious and sustained conservation.
It’s worth noting that the EC’s Water Framework Directive 2000 applies to all rivers, lochs, estuaries and coastal waters as well as water under the ground. It aims to achieve good surface water status by 2015. SEPA is working on the first draft of a new River Basin Management Planning process (consultation in December 2008) designed to deliver this aim.
The River Awe used to be famous for the size and numbers of the salmon running the river. Since the Hydr o dam was built and a not-very-effective fish lift was installed instead of the more expensive salmon ladder, the very large fish have virtually disappeared. The nature of the lift means that all fish entering the lift are carried up to the Loch, where with the ladder, only the salmon have the strength to make it up there. The disappearance of the large fish may be due to a number of factors together threatening the viability of the wild Atlantic salmon. These include drift netting, coastal netting, hill drainage, water abstraction, water pollution and factory food products turning fish into pellets to feed farmed fish. The natural rise and fall of water levels on Loch Awe is now controlled by intervention by the Hydro board.
There are two fish farms on Loch Awe in Argyll - one at the south end near Ford, the other in the Pass of Brander opposite the Cruachan Power Station. From time to time large numbers of rainbow trout escape from these farms, either by carelessness or accident. The presence of this non-indigenous species is not welcomed by most anglers on the loch. It has affected the resident population of wild brown trout.
Additionally, some large rainbow trout have recently entered the River Awe from a fish farm in Loch Etive. It is known that the large rainbows will eat salmon and trout fry. This is not good news for the regeneration of the loch. Of course most fish, given the opportunity, will eat other fish but usually on individual lochs a balance is reached. A sudden influx of large predators as in Loch Awe and the River Awe, upsets that balance.
Former - winning - Captain of the Scottish Angling Team, Alastair MacKellar, shares his expertise, experiences and wry wit on angling and anglers. While he’ll focus on Argyll, he has a roving remit so check out his bait.
He’ll shortly begin this regular diary of issues, activities and experiences. He’ll also be providing information on Angling Event and Activities, on Angling Associations and on places to fish in Argyll.
HIs friends and colleagues in the world of Scottish angling may join him here - ad so can you. Add your experiences, concerns, advice and information via the ‘Comment’ facility.
