Tweed's wild salmon selling in London for £246 a lb

EXCLUSIVE by DOUG COLLIE

The divergence in Covid-19 lockdown restrictions between England and Scotland has resulted in the first difference in fishing regulations on the River Tweed in more than 200 years.

And the resumption of salmon netting at the Gardo Fishery by the mouth of the river at Berwick-on-Tweed means it has become possible to purchase the world famous river's wild salmon for £246.95 per lb., expertly smoked and in a wooden presentation box.

But for the moment upmarket London food firm Forman & Field's website informs potential customers their supply of the sought after delicacy has sold out... for now.

Since Wednesday of last week anglers have been able to fish from the Tweed's English bank at locations such as Horncliffe, Wark and Tillmouth, all of them in Northumberland.

But a few dozen yards away, across the river in the likes of Ladykirk, Lennel or Coldstream, located in Berwickshire the fisheries remain closed.

Since the very first of the River Tweed Acts in 1807 the fishings on the river Tweed have been managed as a single unit notwithstanding the fact that the river rises in Scotland and reaches the sea in England, the authorities explain.

"This arrangement has continued successfully to the present day with the management powers vested in the River Tweed Commission by virtue of the Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006.

"The UK Government announcement on 10th May changes matters, since for the first time since 1807 from 13th May different rules will apply to fisheries in England as opposed to those is Scotland. The reason for this is that whilst the UK Government have eased the lockdown restrictions in England the position of the Scottish Government is that fishing is not allowed and also that travelling for anything other than work or essential purposes is not allowed".

The situation on the lower reaches of the river is captured admirably by this week's Tweedbeats blog, written by a salmon fishing proprietor on the 'wrong' side of the divide.

He writes: "For the moment, I hear one rod caught 15 all on a fly in just two pools at Tillmouth yesterday (Saturday), an amazing day and one he will always remember. Both Waltham & Dritness (who do not report on any website), and Horncliffe just above, caught over 20 for their four days fishing.

"I do not recall scores like that being recorded anywhere on the Tweed in the whole of 2019. Pleasing as that all is, you have to feel sorry for Tweedhill, Ladykirk, Milne Graden, Tweedmill and Lennel who can only watch from the other side, when there are lots of fish about and at least some of those caught would normally have been caught by them."

It also appears that from Wednesday last week, some Scottish residents were crossing from Scotland into England to fish on the south bank of the Tweed, when they should not.

As the Tweedbeats blogger observes: "This is something they most probably knew but decided to ignore; this can only get worse. Others were simply breaking the law and fishing in Scotland, the wrong side of the border line. Let us hope that this enforced division on Tweed ends soon, and never ever happens again."

The netting activity at Gardo also provoked action by the Tweed fishery managers.

In a statement, the River Tweed Commission (RTC) said: "On 5th May RTC fishery officers were informed that activity had been observed at the Gardo netting station in Berwick.

" RTC’s Chief Fishery Officer immediately contacted the tenant of the netting station to establish the nature of these activities. He was informed that the tenant was operating the net with the assistance of family members resident in his house and that this was a permissible activity on the grounds that the purpose was to catch fish for human consumption."

The tenant was told the entire river had effectively been on lockdown since late March and that his activities represented a departure from that position. The tenant noted this, but advised that he intended to continue fishing.

RTC's statement added: "The tenant’s activities were monitored on 6th May by RTC Bailiffs and the matter was referred to Northumbria Police who have responsibility for policing the Covid 19 restrictions imposed by the UK Government. RTC’s enforcement powers do not extend to this situation since the close time for net fishing ended on 31st March. RTC will however be reporting this situation to the Scottish Government who have responsibility for the Tweed fishery district."

Angling interests on the river have been highly critical of Gardo Fishery, the only netting station left on the Tweed. It is claimed the fishery threatens stocks at a time when 85% of the salmon caught by rod and line are returned to the water.

The 2019 annual report from the Commission recorded 432 salmon and 492 sea trout caught by the nets.

Meanwhile, in faraway London, Forman & Field tell their wealthy clients: "Wild River Tweed Salmon is now so fiercely protected – and fishing so restricted – that it is nigh on impossible to acquire stocks, with prices reflecting its rarity. 

"We would urge you to order while you can, as there is a grave danger you will never experience this wonderful delicacy again. Our Limited Edition River Tweed salmon is the best of the best, from the most celebrated of salmon fishing rivers. It comes in a very smart wooden presentation box, with a numbered certificate and is sliced by Lance Forman himself."