Additional Comments from the 1st Freshwater Fisheries
Forum
Rab Lee - Pike Anglers Alliance for Scotland
Interesting and informative day. It would be
interesting to know about District Salmon Fishery Boards
proposals on the use of live bait and that this is
considered separately from the completely different subject
of translocation of fish.
The definition of "rod and line" as applied to coarse
fishing where the use of more than one rod is standard
practice and used from rod rest, as a "set line".
I would be all for a Scottish rod licence as long as it
was backed by Government funding and the money was used to
directly improve the time of fishing that the licence was
purchased for.
Andrew W Malcolm - Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling
It is apparent that coarse angling is the only growth
area in Scottish angling. This being the case, the
proposed Bill topics could have a considerable impact on
this growth through curtailing the development of
commercial coarse fisheries and private club waters.
Could the next Economic Report consider these effects on
the coarse fishing development?
Alastair McPhee - Pike Anglers Alliance for Scotland
Interesting and informative. Look forward to future
meeting of this kind.
Separation of issues of the method of using live fish as
bait and the impacts of translocation of species is very
important. As a method it is widely accepted worldwide as
a useful fishing method.
Translocation on the other hand can come from a number
of vectors not just anglers. So far little or no
regulation of ornamental fish species or aquaculture
species - which pose a far greater environmental threat
than the practice of using live fish as bait.
Is one pound a week too little for anglers to receive
improved fisheries and fishery science for the benefit of
all.
Peter Kennedy - Ayrshire Rivers Trust
1) In deliberation about the future it should be born
in mind that Fisheries Trusts are ran by volunteer
trustees, are charitable organisations and are locally
supported. It is important to recognise their
independence - any dictation to Trusts could destroy them,
along with their high quality biologists and their
funding.
2) I am not convinced that the make up of the Fisheries
Forum is balanced. It appears that any pressure group can
have a seat at the table. The basics are Management of
Fisheries and Scientific Research and advice. They should
lead, others can comments.
3) I would have found it helpful to have a summary of
the conclusions which can be drawn from the Economic Survey
on the impact of Fishing written in simple terms.
Derek Keith - S.C.A.P.A. Scottish campaign for Public
Angling
The "Partnership Agreement" - access - will fail if the
Freshwater and Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1976 is not
repealed. We can not have "exclusion orders" undermining
the stated aim of the improving public access.
A Scottish Anglers Trust must be established to ensure
all anglers have access to fishing's at reasonable cost
allied to conservation.
Public money should not be spent on improving fisheries
which could be sold on the international property market
without any regard to access, local communities or
employment opportunities. A Scottish Anglers Trust would
ensure that this could not happen.
John Powel - Laurieston Angling Club
On the access issue, prior to protection orders on Lochs
Tay and Earn, I could fish more or less any part of these
waters. Since these orders were granted there are large
areas I can not fish. This is contrary to the '76' Act's
first clause "substantial increased access will result in
orders being granted".
David Deane - Pentland Fly Fisheries
Salmon interests aside, the future of angling in
Scotland depends not only on the sustainability of fish
stocks, but the sustainability of the angling
population.
Currently membership of Game angling clubs affiliated to
SANA (30,000 members) is dropping yearly with little
recruitment from young people (the average age of members
has risen to 45-50+).
Any legislation must actively serve to promote and
sustain angling as a sport among the general population,
and the youth in particular (rather than be
restrictive).
-Increased public access
-young angler initiation
-Sunday fishing access - family fishing
Stan Headley - Scottish Flyfishing Co
Had serious concerns regarding:
· Fisheries Management Policy as regards the stocking
of self-sustaining and viable trout habitats
· The proliferation of rainbow trout fisheries to the
exclusion of native and indigenous stocks
· The part played in the above by clubs and
organisations
· The general lack of scientific advice used or
acquired by such bodies in their stocking activities
· Last, but not least, the gradual decline in the
economic importance of native wild species in favour of
introduced alien species.
Gary Clarkson - Lowland Carrol Angling Partnership
Rod licences are a good thing but we must resist the EA
model where more money is spent on administrative overheads
than fisheries management. Money must be used to support
all species. Enforcement is essential, as is education of
benefits to be had.
Can we gather the economic impact of the growth of
commercial coarse fisheries in England and Wales. This
should be carefully considered against the obvious decline
in salmonids fish and fisheries and a recognition taken of
the changes that are inevitable in Scottish Angling.
Ewan Hepburn - Winchburgh and District Angling Club
It is essential that the views of clubs fishing still
waters and put and take fisheries are taken into account in
what could be a salmon dominated bill.
In my opinion, these fisheries are among the most
accessible to the public and have an important part to play
in affordable fishing for tourists too.
Investment in this area could have a greater incremental
value in terms of local economy than the salmon side. It
will also be the most sensitive to rod licence introduction
(if, indeed that where to take place) and possibly the
least likely to benefit from it.
Moreover, trout fishing is more accessible to the youth
and we as a club have produced 3 junior internationalists
in the last decade. This area is of huge social importance
and could benefit the young people of Scotland
greatly.
For as important as the salmon fishing/sector is, we
must ensure that other sides are listened to and catered
for. This sentiment holds for the coarse fisheries too,
whom we have not heard from today. They too must have
their say.
Drew Jamieson - Several, but not delegated stakeholder
Welcome this inclusive consultative process and evidence
based approach.
Partnership Agreement
Will "Public Investment" include community input through
locally based voluntary angling organisations e.g.
clubs/associations?
Participation/Demand
Need to assess demand and key trends in participation in
angling in different species
-salmon and sea trout
-brown trout (wild)
-Rainbow (stocked)
-coarse fish
-grayling (separate consideration)
Charitable Trusts
Are the constitutions of the trusts sufficiently robust
to challenge about "charitable status"? How is the "public
good" defined?
Land-use impacts
Can we improve the mechanisms to limit/reduce/integrate
the impacts of agriculture and forestry on fisheries.
-refer to the Strategy Task Force report to Lord Sewel
1997 for protection order review.
-focus on issues, objectives and solutions before
getting bogged down in finding the appropriate
structure.
A J M Stewart - Tay Liaison Committee
Consultation has been very wide but future consultations
may wish to address more specific issues. Much is
available scientifically but not so much practically.
On protection orders, more teeth to compel all to supply
information and or funds. More powers to properly trained
trout wardens.
Local funding to be made available locally.
Advice on access and methods taken locally and combined
nationally.
Coarse regulations to be introduced including a closed
season for spawning.
Composition of any new Boards for systems should have a
wide representation of members from owners to anglers and
in between scientific input.
M.H.T Andrew - Ythan DSFB
1. Good structures already exist in much of Scotland
(DSFB and Trusts) both could do more if given the power and
resources to do so.
2. There is a need for control of fish movement and
licensing/prohibition on alien species.
3. Local management and 'closed funding' within
catchments or regions is essential i.e. what is raised in a
catchment should be kept in the catchment.
4. All fish both freshwater and inshore should be
included.
5. a) it is essential that access to salmonids fishing
is appropriate to the exploitable surpus. It is
questionable how exploitable that resource is.
b) The efforts of Boards and Trusts has been to
improve juvenile stocks in rivers but marine smolts
mortality remains high and insufficient grilse/salmon are
returning.
6. Need to deal with 'ownership of fish (young stock
and adult) destroyed by pollution. A fine does not restore
a population.
7. It would be helpful to establish the exact investment
in fishery improvement by the present arrangement of
trusts/boards and angling interests and compare this to the
level of investment structure (England, Wales and
Ireland).
8. Access to fishing may well be one of perception only
as availability of fishery is often poorly publicised.
Ross Gardiner - Pitlochry Angling Club/ Tummel-Garry Liaison
Committee
The First Forum meeting went well, with excellent
organisational arrangements. However to take forward, it
is clearly important that all sectors are represented on
the steering group by representatives who will not overlook
their interests. It is not clear to me that that is the
case with grayling, and I suggest that the grayling society
should also be invited to nominate a representative.
Alan Ayre - Chairman, The Grayling Society
I thought that the Forum worked well in starting off
public dialogue with SEERAD over the proposed new
legislation, and look forward to further opportunities to
participate in the debate. Hopefully the SE website will
reflect some of the issues, and the discussion forum on the
webpage should be useful in exchanging views, but this will
only reach those anglers who have PC skills and the time
and/or inclination to go on line. The SE website will go
some way to help, but it should be supplemented with
notices in fishing magazines and newspapers and by other
media announcements.
What would be even better would be an occasional free
news-sheet on the lines of those issued by many local
authorities that provide the public with information about
local issues. The EA's "Catch" and SEPA's "SEPAView" are
good though bigger examples of what I envisage. The Green
paper acknowledged the need for education based change, and
a news sheet would help reach the mass of anglers who would
otherwise remain ignorant of proposed changes.
It was encouraging to hear the Minister placing
prominence upon research and sustainability as well as
access to and promotion of fishings. Promotion is
necessary, but it is paramount to ensure we have good
stocks of fish, otherwise angling will die. The move away
from rivers over the past few years to put and take, and to
places like Russia is indicative of diminishing wild fish
stocks. The wheels of change turn slowly, so there is much
merit in the comments of one contributor from the floor who
called for more to be done NOW to address the problems
currently affecting fish populations.
The Environment Agency has bitten the bullet and (like
many other continental countries) accepted the species as a
game fish, including it in its "Trout and Grayling
Fisheries Strategy". Hopefully the SE will see fit to give
it similar prominence in the not too distant future. It
was unfortunate that Alan Radford opted to ignore grayling
including them with coarse fish in his economic report,
because the study was an ideal opportunity to discover the
value grayling fishing contributes and where it stands in
relation to coarse fishing.
Finally, the organisation of the event was good and
those responsible for it deserve much credit. One minor
failing, however, concerns lunch. It would have been
useful if we had of been told beforehand that it was to be
provided. There was nothing to indicate that this in the
missives received, and some of us brought a packed lunch
unnecessarily.