Salmon affected by climate

The Courier’s former angling correspondent, Ken Bell, said he’d seen evidence of poor autumn fish numbers on the Tay.

He said the problem had been building for a number of years and could impact upon stocks for some time.

“Over the autumn you usually see fish moving all over the river.

“You don’t always catch them, but the fact they are there gives you hope.

“This year there were very few fish showing at most beats.

“I was at Dunkeld in September and didn’t see a single fish moving in the morning and just a couple in the afternoon.”

He said the reasons for low stocks are many, from the dry autumn – high river levels help bring fish in from the estuary – to the effect of recent low spawning.

But he believes the issues are more widespread and agrees with Dr Summers that there could be serious climactic issues at play.

“It does sound as if the fish are simply not there in the estuary to come up river.

“After being spawned, most fish have to spend two to three winters at sea to come back as big fish.

“Only 2-3% of eggs laid come back to the Tay as salmon as a lot are eaten in the river or at sea.

“The number of fish coming back seems to have been lower this year than in 2015, and that year itself was lower than the five-year average.

“In addition, the grilse (salmon that have spent just one winter at sea) that have made their way back to the Tay have been very thin.

“That shows they are not feeding well at sea and that may be one of the key issues.

“The salmon feed on krill when at sea, but with the water slowly getting warmer the krill are no longer in the areas they used to be.”

He said recent poor autumns will affect 2017 but the real impact may be when larger fish from the latest cycle are expected to return in a few years.