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.