Fishing for the truth about angling in Scotland
RELATIONS between wild game fishing interests and the Scottish Government over fish farming controls have suffered another reverse with the collapse of a key agreement set up to try to establish peace between the salmon industry and anglers.
Continue ReadingSALMON, wild and farmed, crept on to the menus two of the Sunday papers this week. The Sunday Herald’s environment editor Rob Edwards reported on an alleged pesticide incident in which it was said that thousands of farmed salmon had been killed by an accidental overdose on a Shetland site. The story claims environmental protection…
Continue ReadingTHE LAWYER behind the recent high-profile success of Fish Legal in campaigning against fish farm escapes and Scottish Water pollution incidents has been hired by the Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) to lobby the Government and politicians in the on-going battle for sustainable aquaculture.
Continue ReadingFURTHER evidence of healthy grilse and salmon runs emerges from Sutherland where the Oykel produced a record-breaking return for July with a staggering 730 fish. In a month of fluctuating spates producing near-perfect conditions, 12 rods accounted for 286 fish between July 12 and 17 alone. Richard Donkin’s entertaining blog has more details. Of course…
Continue ReadingTHERE WERE encouraging signs from the Tay system last week of greatly improved salmon runs. The recorded catch total of 211 was nearly treble the previous week. Water levels dropped back steadily and the lower river produced more than half of the total catch. Almondmouth and Coupar Grange topped the returns with 44 and 31…
Continue ReadingIT’S THE dry season for news. Those summer holiday dog days when newspapers up and down the land trawl through the cuttings and weekly newspapers for a useful story to follow up and fill all those gaping empty column inches. So readers of The Times – at least those who still pay to read it …
Continue ReadingTHE River Clyde, one of the most famous rivers in the world, is a magnet for anglers, particularly its mid and upper reaches. Its reputation as a salmon fishery is also recovering. So a single website catering for the diverse needs of thousands of fishermen who take to its banks each year, is long overdue.
Continue ReadingIF THERE is a single publication which presents a clear and balanced view of the health and welfare of Scotland’s migratory game fish, it is the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards’ (ASFB) annual review. Launched last year in a new format, this report should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the future of salmon…
Continue ReadingWild salmon: S&TA nine-point action plan for survival THE WILD salmon lobby today accused fish farmers and the Government of holding a sword of Damocles over the head of one of Scotland’s most iconic natural resources. In the latest of a series of increasingly belligerent attacks on the multi-million pound aquaculture industry, game fishery campaigners…
Continue ReadingRETAIL GIANTS like Tesco were today urged to recognise the environmental damage caused by salmon farms which fail to prevent accidental releases of fish into the wild, following an escape of up to 100,000 smolts into Loch Lochy, near Fort William, Scotland. In a thinly-veiled call for a boycott of salmon farmers, such as Marine…
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