The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Anglers wait patiently in Kenmore before the opening of the salmon fishing season on the River Tay yesterday.
Dwindling catch numbers last year cast worrying shadow on occasion
Celebrations to mark the start of the salmon season have been marred by a worrying decline in River Tay stocks.
“Tight line” toasts were held across Perthshire yesterday, with adventurer Polly Murray – the first woman to climb Everest – casting off at Meikleour, near Blairgowrie.
Traditional piper-led ceremonies were also held in Dunkeld and Kenmore.
The festivities were dampened by figures suggesting 2018 was one of worst years for catches since records began.
According to the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board, the total for the season is somewhere between 4,500 and 5,000 – some 500 or more down on last year.
The summer heatwave, which dried up large sections of the river, has been blamed for dwindling numbers but experts have raised concerns that wider problems at sea could also be a factor.
Board chairman Iain Mclaren said: “The start of the new salmon season is always a time for optimism.
“But this year that optimism is tempered with realism.
“The 2018 season was particularly challenging, with disappointing runs and – with the almost unbroken three month summer heatwave – very difficult fishing conditions.
“It is little comfort, but most of Scotland’s rivers are experiencing similar downturns.”
Dr David Summers, board director, added: “There can be little doubt that problems at sea, during the long migrations that our salmon undertake, are the root cause of declining runs and catches.
“The board and our anglers, who continue to be highly responsible in conservation matters, are doing all we can to maintain and enhance stocks in fresh water.
“Obviously, we all hope that conditions at sea will improve and that this year we will see a return to a more normal pattern of weather and rainfall,” he added.
Last year, the board took action to address the plummeting numbers and asked anglers not to keep any fresh-run fish caught in the summer months.
Perth and District Junior Pipe Band took part in the river blessing at Kinclaven Bridge, hosted by Meikleour Fishings. Depute provost Willie Wilson performed the riverside ceremony.
Ms Murray, who had the honour of the symbolic first cast, presented the Malloch Trophy to Perth’s Philip Black for his monster salmon catch, weighing around 28lb.
Comedian Fred Macaulay led the celebrations at Kenmore, with backing from Vale of Atholl Pipe Band.
A similar celebration was hosted by Dunkeld House Hotel.
Awinter of discontent is over for eager anglers as the Tay was opened for business again in traditional fashion.
However, the usual toasts and camaraderie came amid a background of anxiety for the industry.
Last summer’s near-drought and conditions at sea have prompted fears fish stocks could remain at a dangerously low level.
These are not factors which can be affected by those tasked with protecting our rivers and their precious bounty.
Conservation measures have long been a feature of the Tay and those using the world-famous beats are canny enough to abide by them, lest they lose the ability to enjoy their beloved sport.
More is at stake than the pleasure of fishing the waterways, of course.
Angling is worth multi-millions to the Perthshire economy.
People jet into the area from across the globe to partake. It supports jobs, retail and hospitality industries and provides a platform to promote the region which is almost unrivalled.
Without fish, all that is lost.
It must be hoped, along with measures taken by beat owners and the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board, action is stepped up elsewhere to protect a resource which is as vital to Tayside as any other industry.