CRY ME A RIVER...

I refer to Jon Gibb’s recent column (Be Careful What You Wish For, May 2016). Thanks to hard work by many, and not least by Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS), the Scottish Government has at last faced up to its responsibilities and given protection to our salmon, a protection which was sadly lacking.

Up to this year, any angler or netsman with a legal right to fish had the right to kill as many fish as he wanted, regardless of the strength of the run. By killing too many, there is an obvious danger of too few fish being left to spawn.

Mr Gibb claims S&TCS was only trying to ban netting and did not appreciate that some anglers would also face controls. What nonsense! By banning coastal netting, an average of 20,000 salmon a year have been saved. Yet this alone was not enough. What is the point, and where is the fairness, in stopping one person killing, if someone else in an underperforming river then kills that fish?

This brings me to my second point. Mr Gibb complains that it is wrong that some rivers, such as the one he manages, have been graded in the poorest bracket, and accordingly he and his clients can no longer kill fish. The grading of rivers was carried out by the Government’s scientists, and if they, as dispassionate experts, believe that the number of fish running a specific river is not sufficient to allow any exploitation, and Mr Gibb does not agree, I would suggest he takes it up with the Government, and not blame this on S&TCS. Let us also avoid being parochial – for the vast majority of anglers, there will be no change.

The purpose of the measures is not to restrict rights but to safeguard salmon. In all the cries of ‘foul’, in all the moans of ‘it’s not fair’, in all the bleatings of lost revenue, it appears that the salmon itself is often forgotten. Let us welcome this protection, where it is necessary, of one of Scotland’s iconic species, and hope these measures will allow more salmon safe passage to their breeding grounds. Hugh Campbell Adamson, Chairman, Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland, Stracathro, Brechin