Tayside ghillie claims marine biologists are ‘researching rivers to death’

MARINE biologists are “researching rivers to death” as Scotland’s salmon stocks dwindle, says police officerturned-ghillie George Mcinnes.

The former detective accused scientists of being anti-hatchery while restocking rivers works well in other rivers all over the world.

Mr Mcinnes became the head ghillie at the famous Ballathie beat on the River Tay when he retired from the police in 1992,

He was speaking at the presentation of the Redford Cup awarded annually to the angler who catches the heaviest salmon from the river on January 15 – the opening day of the new season.

This year only one salmon, a nine-and-a-half pounder, caught by Speyside angler Stuart Voce, from the Taymount beat, was entered for the much sought-after trophy named in memory of businessman Ian Redford.

In its heyday the River Tay was renowned for its huge runs of large spring salmon and, to show how the decline has hit the river, Mr Mcinnes – a founder member of the River Tay Ghillies Association – cited the example of the 1982 opening day catch when more than 80 fish were landed, the biggest being a 25-pounder.

So far spring catches are at their lowest ebb. The killing of any spring salmon has now been made illegal not only on the Tay but every other salmon river, and this year, in a bid to preserve summer and autumn stocks, the Tay District Salmon Fishery Board is urging anglers to return every salmon they catch.

Mr Mcinnes, now 80 and who is retiring from his job at the end of the season, said the Tay was not the only river to be suffering.

He said: “Much of the blame is laid at what happens at sea, for example water temperatures rising, but we as anglers can do nothing about that.

“I believe the biggest cause of the decline is the lack of juvenile salmon called smolts returning to the sea. From birth, young salmon have to run a gauntlet of predation before they reach the sea and migrate to their feeding grounds where they become bigger before returning to their natal rivers to begin the breeding process again.

“The predation is due to goosanders, mergansers, cormorants, otters, mink, seagulls and herons that gorge themselves on parr and when they turn into smolts to head downstream. And at the mouth of the rivers smolts and adult salmon are eaten by thousands of seals and lots of dolphins. Nearly all of these predators are protected by law and very little is done to control their numbers.

“As ghillies and anglers we are up against powerful organisations like Marine Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environmental and Protection Agency, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and many others who are all against a serious cull of predators.

“It’s now got to the stage where all salmon rivers require a massive boost from hatcheries to prevent a catastrophic decline and maybe even extinction of an iconic fish, together with an important loss of revenue from anglers who come from all over the world to fish and the loss of jobs.”