Post by Hoppy on Nov 17, 2005 19:47:44 GMT -1
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT:
CCW = Countryside Council for Wales:
EA = Environment Agency for England & Wales:
EAW = Environment Agency Wales:
FRAWC = Flood Risk Assessment Wales Committee (formerly Flood Defence Committee):
NRA = National Rivers Authority:
WAG = Welsh Assembly Government.
SALMON STOCK CONSERVATION
Salmon stocks throughout Wales continue to decline at an alarming rate. In many rivers spawning populations are now well below the optimum number required to regenerate future stocks at their present levels of abundance. Science-based ‘Conservation Limits’ that define the number of eggs that must be deposited each year to sustain the present rate of exploitation have now been determined for 21 rivers in Wales. Only six of these rivers currently achieve a satisfactory level of compliance with their Conservation Limits. The remaining 14 rivers have spawning populations that fail to achieve a satisfactory level of compliance and are judged to be ‘threatened with collapse’ or ‘seriously at risk of collapse’ if the current rate of exploitation is allowed to continue at its present level. The conservation of the resource must be given total precedence over any other considerations and the strongest measures must now be adopted to arrest any further decline in stocks.
SEA TROUT STOCK CONSERVATION.
Wales has some of the finest sea trout fisheries in the British Isles. The continued decline in salmon stocks (A.2.) has further increased their already considerable social and economic importance as the mainstay of most recreational and rod-fisheries throughout Wales: particularly on the many smaller rivers. The sea trout has been largely taken for granted in terms of the measures adopted to protect and conserve stocks and steps must now be taken to adopt a more pro-active and precautionary approach to the conservation of the resource by the introduction of measures to maintain and strengthen the abundance and quality of individual stocks: some of which are already showing symptoms of decline.
B.3.4. EEL STOCK CONSERVATION
Eels stocks are in decline throughout Europe and are now the subject of stronger measures to reduce catches in order to conserve future stocks. They are a target species by some recreational anglers and exploited commercially as both juveniles (elvers) and adults (resident yellow or migrating silver eels) on several rivers in South Wales. Their commercial value is very high: with elvers exported to Europe and Japan for rearing to market size in commercial eel farms.
B.4.5. BROWN TROUT STOCK CONSERVATION.
The non-migratory brown trout is potentially a major recreational resource of very considerable, but as yet unquantified value, throughout Wales: particularly in upland waters and on most minor streams. It is particularly important as a target species for juvenile anglers and casual visitors. It is already in decline on many rivers throughout Wales as a result of diffuse and insidious pollution caused by agriculture; especially sheep-dips in upland areas (see E.3.3.). A long history of past neglect in terms of any structured basis for its management and conservation (including the conservation of its genetic diversity) has been partly rectified by the implementation of the EA’s ‘Trout & Grayling Strategy’ for England & Wales. The formal implementation of that strategy at a regional level in Wales should take into account the following concerns: -
CCW = Countryside Council for Wales:
EA = Environment Agency for England & Wales:
EAW = Environment Agency Wales:
FRAWC = Flood Risk Assessment Wales Committee (formerly Flood Defence Committee):
NRA = National Rivers Authority:
WAG = Welsh Assembly Government.
SALMON STOCK CONSERVATION
Salmon stocks throughout Wales continue to decline at an alarming rate. In many rivers spawning populations are now well below the optimum number required to regenerate future stocks at their present levels of abundance. Science-based ‘Conservation Limits’ that define the number of eggs that must be deposited each year to sustain the present rate of exploitation have now been determined for 21 rivers in Wales. Only six of these rivers currently achieve a satisfactory level of compliance with their Conservation Limits. The remaining 14 rivers have spawning populations that fail to achieve a satisfactory level of compliance and are judged to be ‘threatened with collapse’ or ‘seriously at risk of collapse’ if the current rate of exploitation is allowed to continue at its present level. The conservation of the resource must be given total precedence over any other considerations and the strongest measures must now be adopted to arrest any further decline in stocks.
- The EAW must give the highest priority to making all anglers and netsmen aware of the parlous state of our salmon stocks, the need for and means of conserving those stocks and, above all, the penalties of failing to do so. National campaigns in the media urging restraint have not filtered down to the angler-on-the bank and more locally targeted campaigns are required that explain the facts in simple but unequivocal terms.
- Support for the voluntary adoption of catch-and-release is well below the national average for England & Wales on many rivers in Wales. The EAW must take urgent steps to encourage a much higher rate of catch-and release throughout Wales in general and should directly target those rivers where there is the greatest need for improvement.
- On those rivers where the level of compliance with their fixed Conservation Limit is consistently well below target so that they are ‘endangered’, there should be a complete ban on killing any salmon until stocks recover to an acceptable level. This must apply to both the rod and net fisheries.
- On those rivers where salmon stocks are less critically threatened and judged to be ‘at risk’, conservation measures should be introduced to restore stocks to a safe level. Such measures could include the wider adoption of catch-and release and/or the introduction of fixed bag limits for the day, week and season periods. It would be preferable if these measures were to be adopted (and enforced) by voluntary agreement with all the owners and occupiers of fishing on such rivers: but they may need to be imposed by statutory regulation in default of such agreement. Any measures to reduce the rate of exploitation by the rod fishery should be matched by an equivalent reduction in the rate of exploitation by any net fisheries that operate on the same river.
- On rivers where compliance with their set Conservation Limits is ‘satisfactory’, steps should be taken by all stakeholders to ensure that this situation is maintained by voluntary constraints so the rate of exploitation does not increase to an unsustainable level that places these stocks at risk.
- A ban on the sale of rod-caught fish is central in any strategy for the conservation and management of salmon stocks. This should be introduced by statutory regulation at the earliest opportunity once the necessary primary legislation is enacted.
- Governments in England and Wales should maintain the strongest political pressure on the Government of the Irish Republic to take immediate steps to curtail the interception of all salmon of non-Irish origin by the licensed salmon drift nets operating around the coast.
- The current policy of not promoting the salmon fisheries of Wales within the context of the ‘Fishing Wales’ marketing strategy should continue until salmon stocks have increased to satisfactory levels of abundance. [See G.1.1.]
SEA TROUT STOCK CONSERVATION.
Wales has some of the finest sea trout fisheries in the British Isles. The continued decline in salmon stocks (A.2.) has further increased their already considerable social and economic importance as the mainstay of most recreational and rod-fisheries throughout Wales: particularly on the many smaller rivers. The sea trout has been largely taken for granted in terms of the measures adopted to protect and conserve stocks and steps must now be taken to adopt a more pro-active and precautionary approach to the conservation of the resource by the introduction of measures to maintain and strengthen the abundance and quality of individual stocks: some of which are already showing symptoms of decline.
- The EA/EAW should now produce a comprehensive and pro-active strategy for the future management & conservation of sea trout stocks while most fisheries appear to be reasonably healthy.
- In addition to encouraging the wider adoption of voluntary catch-and release as a general precaution, the benefits of pro-active measures to promote:
a) minimum size limits to protect very small fish on their first return to freshwater as immature ‘whitling’,
b) maximum size limits to protect the larger multi-sea winter maiden sea trout and multiple repeat spawning fish
c) catch limits to reduce the overall rate of exploitation to within sustainable limits should now be considered as key elements of that strategy. - Any ban on the sale of rod caught salmon (see B.1.6.) should be extended to include the sale of rod-caught sea trout.
- Catch statistics from anglers and netsmen will remain the principle means of judging the health of our sea trout fisheries for the foreseeable future. These are likely to be considerably less accurate than those for salmon. The EA/EAW should review the current procedures for obtaining sea trout catch statistics and take steps to improve their reliability and usefulness as a management tool. Future catch record for sea trout should be presented to show a breakdown into appropriate size-groups of fish to allow any changes in the quality of the fishery to be detected at an early stage.
- There are many gaps in our knowledge about the biology, ecology and migratory behaviour of this enigmatic and neglected species that pose serious constraints on its efficient and effective management. These should to be addressed. [See J.1.2.]
B.3.4. EEL STOCK CONSERVATION
Eels stocks are in decline throughout Europe and are now the subject of stronger measures to reduce catches in order to conserve future stocks. They are a target species by some recreational anglers and exploited commercially as both juveniles (elvers) and adults (resident yellow or migrating silver eels) on several rivers in South Wales. Their commercial value is very high: with elvers exported to Europe and Japan for rearing to market size in commercial eel farms.
- WAG should engage with, and actively support, the proposed European Conservation measures.
- The EAW should seek the necessary statutory powers to regulate the level of exploitation of elvers and adult eels by placing a limit on the annual number of commercial fishing licences available for issue in any season on any fishery.
- The EAW should introduce new regulations to enable it to fix the rate of exploitation of eels at a sustainable level in any river system.
- When promoting new regulations to protect eels stocks, due regard should be given to their considerable importance as a major source of food for cormorants and otters and that the long period of residence in freshwater makes them a unique and invaluable biological indicator of historical water quality.
B.4.5. BROWN TROUT STOCK CONSERVATION.
The non-migratory brown trout is potentially a major recreational resource of very considerable, but as yet unquantified value, throughout Wales: particularly in upland waters and on most minor streams. It is particularly important as a target species for juvenile anglers and casual visitors. It is already in decline on many rivers throughout Wales as a result of diffuse and insidious pollution caused by agriculture; especially sheep-dips in upland areas (see E.3.3.). A long history of past neglect in terms of any structured basis for its management and conservation (including the conservation of its genetic diversity) has been partly rectified by the implementation of the EA’s ‘Trout & Grayling Strategy’ for England & Wales. The formal implementation of that strategy at a regional level in Wales should take into account the following concerns: -
- The absence of any detailed catch records, in a standard and comparable format, from anglers to monitor changes in the status and quality of wild stocks of brown trout in rivers and lakes on a local, regional or national basis.
- The need to manage migratory sea trout and non-migratory brown trout as a single ‘inter-breeding’ unit of stock in each river.
- The very considerable importance of male brown trout in balancing the disproportionately large proportion of female fish in any sea trout population at spawning time
- The almost universal natural distribution of wild trout throughout Wales, particularly in the countless number of minor streams and their importance as biological indicators in that context for monitoring ‘naturalness’ and water quality in relation to implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
- The loss of economic and social community benefits from angling tourism in those regions where brown trout populations have shown a significant decline directly attributed to the damage caused by sheep-dip pollution to the invertebrate fauna that is food for fish. [See E.3.4.]