Casting for Recovery

The Nith District Salmon Fishery Board recently assisted in organising a pilot event in conjunction with the physiotherapy department in D&G Royal Infirmary. Borderlines, a not for profit company specialising in introducing induviduals and groups to the sport of fising, attended and provided casting tuition for the event. Casting for Recovery is a national programme that was designed to help women who have or have had Breast cancer "to promote physical and mental healing". The action of casting helps rehabilitate muscles affected by the cancer and surgery and also has the benefit of taking place in beautiful and relaxing surroundings. The Nith District Salmon Fishery Board helped to organise an afternoon's casting tuition at the end of September to give ladies from the physiotherapy group run by Linda Davidson, an opportunity to try casting as a rehabilitation method for themselves. The event was held at Glenkiln Reservoir with the kind permission of Sir Henry Keswick. The casting tuition was provided by three professional instructors from Borderlines; Chris Bowman, Clive Mitchelhill and Glyn Freeman. Staff from NDSFB were also on hand to assist with the day. The afternoon was voted a success with all of the ladies quickly mastering the basics of casting and enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the reservoir. It is hoped that this pilot day will lead to further events being organised with "Casting for Recovery" to provide regular support for ladies in Dumfries and Galloway that have been affected by breast cancer.

Fish and Fisheries Awareness Seminar

Development is an ongoing process throughout the Nith catchment with existing structures being repaired and new proposals being considered. Part of the NDSFB's remit is to protect salmonid fish stocks and it is therefore important that the NDSFB is consulted on any development that has the potential to impact on watercourses and the fish within them. This helps to ensure that projects are carried out in fish friendly manner. In order to raise the profile and importance of salmonids a Fish and Fishery Awareness Seminar took place at Drumlanrig Castle recently. The seminar was attended by representatives from organisations and individuals involved in development planning, design and authorisation. In addition representatives of organisations involved in the enforcement of legislation and the Procurators Fiscals Service attended.

The seminar highlighted the importance of fish in the environment, the legislation that protects them and the mitigation required in order carry out developments sympathetically to fish. A practical electrofishing demonstration also took place and attendees were able to see how a fish population survey is conducted and some of the species of fish present within the Nith catchment.

The day was a great success and the weather was kind to us.

This project has been supported by grant funding from the Scottish Government (Marine Scotland) as part of a national programme of fishery management planning undertaken by fishery trusts and District Salmon Fishery Boards across Scotland. This programme is co-ordinated and managed by the Rivers Fisheries Trust of Scotland (RAFTS).

Sea trout return and reward scheme

The Sea trout return and reward scheme that was launched in April 2009 has been welcomed by the anglers of the River Nith. NDSFB baseball caps have been awarded to Alex Saville for returning a 3 1/2 lb sea trout at Bargag and David McMitchell who returned a 4 1/2 lb sea trout in Mid Nithsdale. It is encouraging to see anglers returning sea trout over 3lbs and we hope to see more people claiming their baseball caps next year.

World Oceans Day

World Oceans Day is an international program of events co-ordinated by The Ocean Project to raise awareness of oceans. In Dumfries and Galloway the Solway Firth Partnership has run World Oceans Day for many years and this year it was expanded to World Oceans Week with two celebrations being held at Rockcliffe and Port William. In support of this day and to raise awareness of the migratory species of fish that use the Solway Firth, the NDSFB had a stall at Rockcliffe. It was a very successful day and children enjoyed trying to identify the species of fish that we had brought with us and set up in an aquarium.

Genetic Surveying of Atlantic salmon

After discussions with the FRS in Pitlochry the NDSFB have been collecting genetic samples from juvenille salmon within the Nith ctachment. With the decline of salmon stocks worldwide it is important to understand as much as possible about this species and how it interacts with its environment. Each river catchment has a different genetic population of salmon and it is thought that within each catchment there are different genetic breeding groups. As part of a national survey, the NDSFB is taking genetic samples from juvenile salmon throughout the catchment. These small fin samples are then sent off for analysis where the DNA is extracted and the results are analysed. The data can then be used to determine the different genetic groups of breeding salmon within the Nith catchment. This information will let us improve our management techniques and strategies, giving us a greater ability to conserve and enhance salmon stocks throughout the Nith catchment.

Spring Salmon Return and Reward

The Nith has not historically had a great run of spring salmon and only the most dedicated and enthusiatic of anglers actually fish for them. These few salmon that come into the Nith before April 30th are very valuable to the future stocks of salmon and therefore their conservation is taken seriously by the NDSFB. Through out Scotland this spring run of salmon has been very poor and grave concerns have been expressed by the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards.

Anglers on the Nith have embraced the Return and Reward scheme launched in the spring of 2009 by the NDSFB and Senior Water Bailiff Barry Young was pleased to present Roddy Dixon with a sweatshirt for returning an 8 1/2 lb spring salmon.

In the future we hope that we will see an increasing number of anglers claiming sweatshirts for returning spring salmon.

Remember rewards for returning sea trout over 3lb run throughout the season so let us know if you return one.

To find out more about this conservation scheme follow the link below - Return and Reward

Burgh River Clean Up

The Burgh Angling Association and NDSFB regularly get together during the course of the year to maintain and tidy up the river banks along the Burgh water fishings. This year, two sections of bank have been opened up by removing the willow that has steadily been encroaching along the banks below Academy Bridge and in Dock Park. This has increased the number of fishable bank and will hopefully result in the capture of some nice fish this season.

Local angling clubs help with stocking out salmon and trout fry

Every spring, once the fry are about an inch long and have started feeding they are restocked out into selected areas in the Nith catchment. For the last few years we have invited local angling groups to come and help us stock the fry out so that they can see the whole hacthery process. This help has been greatly appreciated, especially since we have increased the hatcherys production to over 1 million fry. Many thanks to members of Upper Nithsdale AA, Mid Nithsdale AA, Dumfries and Galloway AA and Burgh Angling Association!

Crocodile in the Cairn

On a beautiful March morning, Primary 6 pupils from Loreburn Primary School joined staff from the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board to release salmon fry, which they had helped hatch in their classroom, out into the River Cairn.
Once the fry had been successfully planted out, the class took part in a walk down the river to explore and identify the geological features of the river. On rounding a corner, a cry came up from the children at the front of the group, “There’s a crocodile in the river!” to which some of the adults replied, “It can’t be – you don’t get crocodiles in this country!” Needless to say, they were thinking that it would be a piece of wood or something similar.

However, when everyone peered into the water over the embankment, lo and behold!, there really was a dead “crocodile”, measuring about 1.2m in length!

Mr Jim Henderson, Fishery Director of the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board, says: “The most likely explanation is that an iguana, or some similar reptile, has grown too big for its tank and has been released into the wild.”

Wherever this “crocodile” came from, it certainly made it a field trip that won’t be forgotten in a hurry!

Environment Day

Staff from the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board took part in the Environment Fair that was held at DG One. The Fair was a huge sucess with over 2000 members of the public attending. Adults and children a like were attracted to the aquarium containing salmon and trout fry/parr, eels and lamprey and a smaller tank where salmon eggs were hatching as people watched was very popular. A kids competition was run with the prize a trip, along with their families, to visit the NDSFB hatchery to see how salmon and seat trout are stripped and how the resulting eggs are incubated.

Return and Reward Scheme Launched

Nith District Salmon Fishery Board are launching a reward scheme for 2009. The scheme will reward fishers who return a spring salmon (caught before 1st May). Captors of verified returned spring salmon will be rewarded with a sweatshirt.

The Board has included sea trout in this scheme. The scheme will reward fishers who return large sea trout over 3lbs in weight. Captors of verified returned large sea trout will be rewarded with a baseball cap.

Fishers wishing to claim either a sweatshirt or a baseball cap should contact Senior Water Bailiff Barry Young tel: 07785 743 663.

Tip – verification may be achieved by photo (remember to include an article for scale) or credible witness statement. The Board reserves the right to refuse any reward without appropriate verification of capture and release.

Rules Only one sweatshirt and baseball cap per person per season.
The spring salmon reward is for salmon caught and returned between 25th February and 30th April 2009.
The sea trout reward is given for sea trout caught and returned between 25th February and 30th November 2009.

Enforcement

2008 was a busy year for the Nith Board’s enforcement team. Ten people were reported for further proceedings for breaches of fishery legislation and rules pertaining to specific beats. Two nets were seized during 2008 within the Nith Board’s sea ward boundaries. Persons using these nets continue to be a problem for fishery enforcement officers around the coast of Scotland. The Nith Board has a policy of zero tolerance with these obstructions to migratory salmonid fish. If the owners of these indiscriminate fishing nets fail to operate them responsibly and they pose a threat to Salmon and Sea trout, NDSFB enforcement staff will continue to remove them.