The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Calamitous’ end to season a concern
Failure of autumn influx of salmon is cause for some concern for Tay river managers
A calamitous end to the Tay salmon fishing season has left bosses concerned for the immediate future of fish stocks.
After a brisk spring that offered hope for a bumper year, the anticipated autumn influx of new salmon completely failed to materialise.
That is hugely worrying for those in charge of stocks on one of the UK’s top salmon rivers, with fears that climactic conditions at sea have led to the loss of tens of thousands of fish.
If that is the case, there may be little ghillies and industry leaders can do to help stocks recover in the short term.
Early signs are that autumn catches are the worst in years and that could have serious implications for 2017 and the years ahead.
Dr David Summers, director of the Tay Salmon Fisheries Board, admitted there is cause for concern.
He will be looking closely at figures and reports from the length of the Tay in the coming weeks, but knows there may be little good cheer.
Nonetheless, he said there were high points for the season, including a strong spring and sign that in some parts of the river at least, stocks are strong.
The Pitlochry fish counter, for example, had one of the best counts since the 1970s, which he sees as evidence that some parts of the river are doing very well.
And, though small if any comfort, initial evidence is that the picture on Scotland’s other key angling rivers was even more catastrophic.
The Tay season opened in January amid the traditional fanfare, with launch events on the banks of the river at Dunkeld and Kenmore, attended by environment minister Dr Aileen McLeod, who stressed the importance of the Tay to the Scottish economy.
It was pre-empted by claims of robust fish stocks and of rising spring numbers that offered positivity for the months ahead and, after a slow start, the angling caught fire.
As February moved into April, the Tay began to offer up a wealth of salmon to anglers, with each passing week declared the “best of the season”.
Excellent river conditions contributed to the sense of wellbeing and to confidence among anglers and those responsible for the river that it would continue.
As Dr Summers explained, however, that positivity did not continue into the second half of the season.
He said: “We have not got the full figures yet but overall it looks like a very poor season.
“It started so positively, with a particularly strong spring.
“The entire month of April in particular was very strong, but really the fishing was good right through until June.
“Sadly it then tailed off over the summer and we were then faced with autumn fishing that was the poorest for quite some number of years.
“It is not only ourselves that have suffered as poor autumn fishing has been a general problem around Scotland and the UK as a whole.
“It has been clear that what has been lacking was the expected late run of fish.
“A lot of those that we caught on the Tay during the autumn had been in the river for some time.
“It is possible the autumn run of fish died at sea or, we may see them come at a different time of year. “Certainly it is pretty worrying.” Dr Summers said that, if as feared the issues were out at sea, it may be difficult to take any action to improve stocks.
“If it has happened at sea, due to climactic conditions perhaps, then there may be little we can do,” he said.
Concerns for the future aside, Dr Summers said it had been “a funny season”, blessed with a mixture of ups and downs.
“For quite a number of years there have been concerns over spring fish numbers but this has been steadily picking up and improved again this year,” he said.
“Clearly some parts of the river are doing well and hopefully we will see that improve once again in 2017. “There is a lot to be happy about. “The autumn is clearly very disappointing, however, and overall we will undoubtedly be down on last year. “That itself was not a great year.” Though the salmon season on the river Esk will run for another fortnight it’s understood it will report a similarly disappointing autumn.