Tweed salmon catches down by almost 40 per cent

by EWAN LAMB

The roller coaster fortunes experienced in recent years by salmon anglers on the River Tweed continued during the 2021 season when the total catch plummeted by 39% on the previous year's figure.

Scientists and others with an interest in the well being of the king of fish will no doubt be scratching their heads after the River Tweed Commission [RTC] which administers fishing on the world famous river confirmed the rod catch last year was a mere 5,862 fish.

It had looked as though a series of relatively poor seasons might have come to an end with a 67% increase in salmon caught during 2020 to 9,614 despite the draconian Covid-19 measures which severely restricted angling activity.

But the annual report from RTC has left the fishing fraternity concerned for the future of a local industry which has been worth many millions of pounds each year to the economy of the Scottish Borders.

At the same time sea trout rod catches also fell from 1,872 in 2020 to 1,328 last year, the third lowest total since 2005.

The report says: "The total rod catch of 5,862 salmon was a major disappointment after the encouraging result of 2020. Of important note, 93.5% of rod caught salmon were returned safely to the river, reflecting a year on year increase in return rates since 2010. This is the first time the number of rod caught fish has exceeded 90% and demonstrates how angling practices continue to evolve on a voluntary basis."

Many anglers who fish regularly on the main river and its tributaries have long complained about the level of predation of juvenile salmon by goosanders and cormorants, two fish eating species of birds which populate the Tweed catchment.

According to the 2021 report: "The January and May counts for goosanders in 2021 were the lowest on record; only 68 birds were counted in January (long term average of 279) and 37 birds were counted in May (long term average of 115). The October count was around average (283 birds) and the April count was just below the long term average.

"These results represent a continuation of below average numbers for every count carried out in 2020. Counts on the Dee and Spey in the same time frame are reported to be around average, so these results appear to be specific to the Tweed rather than a change in the wider population, perhaps reflecting changes in migratory patterns."

It adds that cormorant numbers for the last two years have been around average for each count, with the exception of a record 191 birds counted in October 2021 (average 68).

"Given that cormorants are twice the size of goosanders, therefore eating potentially double the quantity of fish and their ability to eat fish greater than parr size, their damage to the Salmon, Trout and Grayling fishery is likely to be significant. An application to increase our licence for shooting cormorants based on the October count has been made.

"Goosander tracking: As a joint project between The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, The British Trust for Ornithology, The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and The Tweed Foundation, six goosanders were caught on the Leader and Gala Water in Spring 2021, tagged and then released. Birds were located every 15 minutes using the mobile telephone network. As a pilot project, the method of capture, tag retention and data generated was evaluated. Unfortunately, the results cannot be shared until the official report has been released by Marine Scotland Science."

In his contribution to the report, head fishery officer Karl Ferguson says that during 2020 the enforcement team experienced a significant increase in fishery related incidents. This increase in illegal activity coincided with the outbreak of Covid-19 and the strict Government restrictions which followed. It was a concern that this trend would continue into 2021 but it soon became apparent that with the reduction in Government restrictions and the introduction of vaccines, fishery related incidents returned to levels experienced prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

"The Tweed Estuary and the Whiteadder have been the hot spots for illegal activity during 2021, with illegal activity peaking from the middle of June to the end of July, with this coinciding with an increase of salmon and sea-trout entering the catchment."

A total of 13 significant illegal fishing incidents were logged on the main Tweed, including the estuary, compared to 35 in 2020. At the same time the Whiteadder tributary experienced 13 incidents during 2021, up from nil the previous year.

Mr Ferguson states: "The most common offence encountered by the enforcement team is fishing without permission; many of the offenders have very little fishing experience and are oblivious to the fact that permission is required. The enforcement team tries to educate individuals in the majority of circumstances where a minor offence has been committed."