SFFF SG 5-2: Annual/Weekly Close Times Discussion forum comments to date (22/11/04)
SEERAD
Annual and weekly close times exist for salmon and sea trout. There is also an annual close time for brown trout. It has been suggested that allowing Sunday fishing for salmon would help increase access. Do you have any views on this? Also, do you think that other species require the protection of a close season?
Ron Woods
I don't fish for trout or migratory species myself, but given that most game fishing is practised as "catch and keep" perhaps there is a reasonable argument for annual close times for them, certainly in waters which are "naturally" stocked. And I imagine the weekly close day provides migratory fish with the chance to ascend to their spawning grounds undisturbed. The fact that the weekly close day happens to be a Sunday is a cultural anachronism, and the specified day could presumably be altered if game angling interests felt it was impeding reasonable access. I wouldn't wish to express a view on that.
There is however absolutely no reason for a general or even regional close season for coarse species. They spawn at widely varying times of year, often in areas inaccessible to anglers. In any event, the level of angling pressure in Scotland - now or in the foreseeable future - is not such as to cause any significant impact on the sustainability of coarse fish stocks with year-round fishing. With the benefit of proper scientific studies we may find that there are some sensitive spawning sites on a few waters where there might be grounds for local restrictions, but that is not a matter which would be or could be address by national legislation.
Alan Ayre
Annual close seasons for salmon, sea and brown trout give these fish protection when out of condition due to spawning. For the same reason, I believe a break should be introduced for other species. The Grayling Society certainly advocates one for grayling on the same lines as that which operates south of the Border i.e. mid March to mid June.
The long standing Sunday break for migratory salmonids contributes to conserving current low stocks and it seems sensible to retain it until stocks recover. Only if this transpires should the practice be reviewed. It should not, however, be allowed to dictate fishing opportunities for other fish. For example, winter grayling fishing (when the fish are at their best) is restricted in some rivers to only a couple of months because salmon are spawning then, yet at the same time Sunday fishing is not allowed. This is too much of an imposition, and it must put off more than a few visitors planning a weekend fishing break.
S Gardiner
Not allowing salmon fishing on Sunday is just stupid. It is the day that most people have the spare time to do what they enjoy, and with anglers it is just the same.
If I am right, the rule has something to do with the church and not working on a Sunday etc, etc. I think those days are long gone and allowing salmon fishing on a Sunday would see a huge boost to the sport.
Kemp meikle mid clyde aa
Sunday salmon fishing would increase access ,income and opportunity remove class barriers that have existed for centuries .to increase conservation to balance increased opportunity amend annual close times at start and finish of season by similar no of days this is the view of 2 clubs I chair
SFFF SG 5-2 (b) Closed Periods for Grayling in Scotland
Legislation in Scotland imposes closed seasons on migratory salmonids and brown trout to protect them whilst spawning and recovering from its effects. During this period most are out of condition and not fit to eat. Legislation also prevents fishing for salmon on a Sunday, and on some rivers this is used as an excuse to stop anglers fishing for other species including grayling.
Most Scottish anglers have been traditionally preoccupied with migratory salmonids and trout. In many cases they have tried to rid their waters of coarse fish and grayling, believing them to be detrimental to their more esteemed quarry, consequently no closed season has ever been introduced to prevent fishing for them. In recent years scientific work elsewhere in the UK and abroad has shown that grayling occupy their own niche in a habitat, and where the habitat is in good heart they have little impact on other species sharing it. They struggle when conditions deteriorate being less tolerant of poor water quality and pollution than most other species.
Unlike other salmonids, which spawn in the winter, grayling spawn in the spring. Unfortunately there has been insufficient research to establish precisely when and where they spawn. It is known that some grayling migrate considerable distances, sometimes ascending feeder streams to spawning gravels, but others don't go so far and spawn in the main river. In England and Wales the grayling closed season is for the same period as for coarse fish, ie from 15th March to 15th June. There is now evidence that some grayling in the south of England spawn earlier and an official review1 has recommended that the Environment Agency should amend the closed season in their Southern, South-west and Thames regions to commence on 1 February and run for three months. Elsewhere it is likely that variations in habitat and climate have a bearing on when and where individual populations spawn. It is generally thought they do so progressively later the further north they occur with Scottish fish spawning in mid April, though climate change may in time affect this. More definitive evidence is required on this topic as well as on many other aspects of grayling behaviour.
Closed seasons provide protection for fish whilst out of condition during their spawning period. Winter grayling fishing is not allowed in some Scottish rivers to protect spawning salmon, and where access is provided wading is sometimes discouraged or even banned in case redds are disturbed. Grayling have no such protection. Scottish populations are completely wild (they are nowhere supplemented by stocking), and The Grayling Society believes a closed season for them should be imposed, initially between mid March and mid June. Over time that period might have to be adjusted in accordance with improving knowledge of the habits of populations in differing areas.
It may be argued a close season is unnecessary in that the trout season generally begins in March and anglers will not be fishing specifically for grayling at that time. There may be some merit in that view, especially if anglers were to be required to return to the river any grayling inadvertently caught during the Spring months. However, many anglers here and abroad with little knowledge of grayling fishing are being attracted to it. Frequent articles about big Scottish fish in the fishing magazines encourage them, and it is likely that their numbers will grow. Because access is limited on most grayling rivers some available beats are already becoming over-fished. Many of these new grayling fans are experienced only in put and take rainbow fishing and have little appreciation of the limitations and fragility of wild fisheries. They are weaned on a culture of big fish capture, and the prospect of catching a big grayling, even though it may be heavy with ova, is attractive to some of them. Currently they can legitimately pursue them here in the Spring on a trout ticket, unless a club or proprietor stipulates otherwise, and few do. Big grayling are old fish not easily replaced and need protection at this vulnerable time.
The species is afforded some protection under Annex V of the EC Habitats Directive. This decrees that exploitation must be compatible with maintaining populations at a favourable conservation status. Currently most discerning anglers believe that some rivers which once had thriving populations are experiencing diminishing stocks. The large kills of the past are over, and though grayling are good to eat there is a growing emphasis on catch and release so cropping is scarcely to blame. Grayling recruitment can suffer if conditions at spawning time are less than ideal, but other unidentified causes may be to blame. The Fisheries Trusts need to pay more attention to the problem. Preoccupied with other salmonids they are just starting to look at grayling populations and have not yet established sufficient data to say what if anything is wrong. Anglers catch returns would be useful indicators in the longer term. Meantime, any moves to conserve stocks at their current level or to improve them would be welcome, and a closed season would not come amiss as a precaution in case the misgivings over stocks turn out to be correct. It would provide protection for the remaining fish at a time when they are at their weakest, help educate the ignorant of the need to conserve wild game fish, and curtail the excesses of the uncaring. How one would police it is a different matter for grayling tackle is little different to that used for brown trout and miscreants could say they are fishing for them.
It should not be forgotten that grayling fishing is already subject to various local restrictions. It is allowed on some rivers (on much of the Tay for example) throughout the year, but on others winter fishing is restricted to only a couple of months when salmon anglers are off the water, and on some beats there is no winter access at all. Those in control will point out that you can fish for grayling during the trout season, but they ignore the fact that the fish is at its best in the winter months. Not only do grayling fishers miss much of the cream of the fishing at such venues, but they are also subject to a bar on Sunday fishing at some of them. Consequently there may be those who will protest at their fishing opportunities being further decimated by a closed season. There is much room for compromise here, including acceptance by all of sensible regulation that allows exponents of all angling disciplines access to suitable water and a decent bite at their own particular cherry, but within the bounds of sustainable stocks.
Conclusion
1. Grayling are wild fish and stocks in some Scottish rivers are reputed to be dwindling.
2. Bearing in mind protection is required under the EU Habitats Directive, measures should be put in place to discover the cause(s) of falling stocks and help rectify the situation.
3. Fishing pressure on grayling is likely to rise if current trends continue, and access to more beats during the trout closed season would be beneficial to lessen the load on hot spots.
4. Like other salmonids grayling lose condition when spawning and ought to be protected from exploitation at this vulnerable time.
5. Given the worries over falling stocks the precautionary principle should be adopted and a closed season introduced to allow fish to reproduce with as little hindrance as possible.
Alan Ayre
Chairman
The Grayling Society
November 2004
Reference
1. Ibbotson, AT et al, A Review of Grayling Ecology, Status and Management Practice, EA technical report W245.