Salmon Catch Improvements: Not Locally

Rural Job Support
“The Tay is known internationally for its salmon fishing. It is one of the best salmon rivers in our country, indeed in the whole of the EU. People come from all corners of the earth to Perthshire in order to fish.

“Salmon fishing is very important to tourism and our local economy in Perth and North Perthshire as well as to the whole of Scotland, and angling supports around 2,000 jobs in rural communities. I hope that this is a trend in our salmon stocks which is set to continue and sustainability can be a key feature of angling on the River Tay”

Data Distortions
But Victor Clements, the Highland Perthshire Manager of Scottish Native Woods has countered that, although 2006 was a good year for salmon fishing in Scotland, there are significant regional variations in catches, and the national figures hide these.

He pointed out that, according to FishTay, with only two weeks left of the salmon season on the Tay, in EVERY month during 2007 the salmon catch figures have been lower than both the five-year average and those from 2006. The current total for the season is only 63% of the five-year average, and 51% of 2006.

"Granted, those figures will improve a bit in the first fortnight of October," said Victor. "It is the upper and middle beats of the Tay which are of relevance to the wider economy of Highland Perthshire. For 2007, the middle beats are running at 50.5% of the five year average, and 37% of 2006. The upper beats and Loch Tay barely register on the scales at all."

He acknowledges that not all beats record catches on FishTay, of course, but numbers have been increasing rapidly in recent years, and it can be assumed that numbers recorded in 2007 are at least the same as 2006, and probably more. Therefore, he claimed, as a ratio the comparison is relevant.

"The Pitlochry fish counter was reading 4190 a few days ago, only 77% of average, and only 55% of 2006. This gives some indication of numbers of fish currently running the middle beats of the Tay," he continued.

Tay Trailing
It is the Dee and the Tweed that are pulling up the national total for salmon returns, and the catches on those rivers are UP in 2007, not down like the Tay. The Dee is currently running at 120% of its five year average. In comparison to the Tay, for five of the eight months of the season, their catches have been greater than both five year average and 2006, and their 2007 figures are provisionally the best EVER recorded since 1952. All their beats, in the upper, middle and lower river are now up on their five year average.

With catch-and-release, while the national average stands at 55% of fish released, on the Tay it is 40%, the lowest of the four major river systems. Again, for comparison, the Dee releases 90%.

Frustrating
"Statistics are important," added Victor. "Pete Wishart, a democratically elected representative who can exert due influence in these matters, is quoting on information that is now a year out of date and which does not pick up the local picture in Highland Perthshire.

"How frustrating it must be for our locally employed ghillies and fishermen to see these stories in the press when they know the situation on the ground to be totally different. How frustrating to see their catches in freefall in 2007 when other rivers are having their best year ever.

"How frustrating that their local representatives are prepared to quote on information supplied to them, without questioning how that information was compiled."

Empower District Boards
Good information and statistics, stressed Victor, are important in guiding good management of any natural resource, and good information is essential if government is to make sound policy decisions that are of any practical significance to local communities.

He concluded: "If Pete Wishart wants to effect change in Highland Perthshire, he should instruct his colleagues in Holyrood to give district fisheries boards the powers to collect and publish catch returns within a month of the end of the fishing season.

"That information should be presented on a river-by-river basis. That way, we would get up to date information of genuine local interest, and not some bland national figures that encourage complacency and self-congratulation."