Salmon Ban

[Exhale]

Anglers banned from taking River Severn salmon catch home

 

River Severn anglers have been banned from taking their catch of salmon home with them under new by-laws.

The Environment Agency (EA) catch and release rules came into force along the length of the river this week, in a bid to protect dwindling salmon stocks.

The Severn Fisheries Group, which represents 30,000 anglers, had criticised the plans claiming it would encourage illegal fishing and poaching.

But the EA said salmon numbers were "so low" it needed to take action.

According to the agency, the river's salmon numbers are some of the lowest on record and "below sustainable levels".

Under the new by-laws, all salmon caught by rod in the River Severn and Severn Estuary will have to be put back into the water alive with "minimum injury and delay".

To improve the survival of released salmon, the use of bait or barbed hooks is also being prohibited.

But Glyn Marshall, from Severn Fisheries Group, described it as an "anti-angling by-law" and a "poachers charter" when it was proposed back in March.

"If the by-laws are imposed, anglers will disappear off the river. They are the eyes and ears on the river, they watch over the river," he said.

"What will happen is anglers will disappear, illegal fishing and poaching will [increase] massively and more salmon will be killed."

'Make a difference'

Dave Hudson, from the EA, said it had been working with anglers through temporary and voluntary measures for the last couple of years to try to avoid the new rules.

"Unfortunately we've come to the point now that the salmon in the Severn is so low, we need to take some action," he said.

He said anglers were being asked to comply, while the agency's enforcement officers would be used "to make sure that it's done".

"The whole purpose of this is to make sure that more salmon get through to the spawning grounds," he said.

"Every one that gets through is going to make a difference now."

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain. It rises in mid-Wales, and travels through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester before flowing to the Bristol Channel.

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-58568541

[Exhale]

I really need to catch up on my laws regarding the river, when I fished the Severn regularly in Mid-Wales every year the bailiffs would remind us of our responsibilities to check the fishes health and to release your catches I regularly fished the maggot on the bottom in the margins or in pockets of the riverbed where you could actually see the fish and the Salmon would take it quicker than the trout quite often so come time for them coming up I would catch plenty and release them (the only time I had taken any from the Severn was when I attended a session with the bailiffs tagging them for studies)  

 

I have always used barbed or micro-barbed hooks on the river and never had a problem I couldn't fix thanks to good education from other anglers and the correct kit (I don't think you should be able to cast a line unless you have the proper care kits).

 

Hopefully the migrations will improve after the fish pass work they've done on the Severn, a friend of mine who fishes the Diglis regularly said the Shad were there this year noticeably already!

 

https://environmentagency.blog.gov.uk/2020/10/24/unlocking-the-way-for-shad-on-the-uks-longest-river/

 

 

[Joolz]

if stocks are that low then they should ban salmon fishing on the Severn until they recover

[Exhale]

@Joolz Really hard thing to enforce, even in certain areas of Worcestershire known for regular poaching activities - it's not easy approaching a pikey either and telling them they have to return the fish, I'm a big bloke and have even had some friends with me at times and they go at you like pitbulls you can't even get the police down in time because they're gone. They had the tarp, ropes and ratchets and the spare tires off my mates trailer too one time, they tried taking the trailer but it was chained too thick for them - pricks!  

[Cambium]

Been fighting a losing battle since

 

Quote

In the 1950s, salmon from rivers in the United States and Canada, as well as from Europe, were discovered to gather in the sea around Greenland and the Faroe Islands. A commercial fishing industry was established, taking salmon using drift nets. After an initial series of record annual catches, the numbers crashed; between 1979 and 1990, catches fell from four million to 700,000.[52

 

Add fish farm nightmare into the mix and you begin to realise that it's all a bit of a mess.

[Michael Luchóg]

In some places rivers are closed for a season or two ,alternating and others have a catch an release policy .Personally I think catch and release should be mandatory but sometimes a fish is injured ,which is why I also think worm fishing /spinning is damaging to small fish and you can't release them when they're bloodied .Most times when you hook a fish with a fly ,it's in their lip rather than down their gut or gills .

[Exhale]

@Cambium I was just about to post along the lines of we've been hearing the private stretches of the rivers have been "netted" for folk to come pay to fish and catch.

[BilgePump]

Barbless hooks do more damage than barbed in my experience too , seems a silly rule if they are trying to preserve stock levels.

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by BilgePump
Typo

[ledgrowlights-Craig]

The wier in Shrewsbury has always been a nice place to watch jumping Salmon every year, each time I go I seem to see less of them.

[Exhale]

3 hours ago, ledgrowlights-Craig said:

Shrewsbury

 

Not been there for a time, good 15 years now!

 

I wonder if they still do the medieval festival I got absolutely smashed on mead then got smashed by a bloke with a mace because I wanted to have a go with one of the shields like the have a go I am  proper fun though.

 

Only across the way from me Shropshire is, shame Telford is part of it but then even perfect things have flaws.  

[grotbags]

Yes, farmed salmon tastes like shit...... 

 

Didnt properly read the op... Still tastes like shit

Edited September 17, 2021 by grotbags

[Captain Bonglington]

I've only caught one Salmon from the Severn, a few years back on a lure, by accident. It was a Kelt of about 10lb that I returned. 

I saw a huge Salmon leap a few times back in late July...biggest Salmon I've seen in the Severn, I saw it a few times from different angles and it was easily 20lb + , maybe 25+, it put on a proper show for me. 

I agree with the catch and release rule to be honest. I also agree with the fact that it leaves the door open to increased poaching even if the EA increase patrols which I doubt...

The real problems have little or nothing to do with recreational anglers. 

[ledgrowlights-Craig]

@Exhale

 

It's a beautiful town... my old stomping ground. I best keep my opinions about Telford to myself 

 

On 17/09/2021 at 2:33 PM, Exhale said:

I wonder if they still do the medieval festival I got absolutely smashed on mead then got smashed by a bloke with a mace because I wanted to have a go with one of the shields like the have a go I am  proper fun though.

 

Is this the Battle of Shrewsbury event? Not been to it myself but it sounds like a laugh! The Shrewsbury flower show is definitely worth coming to see.

 

 

[KC]

They had the food festival there the other week, I used to go but this year they put the ticket price up to 17.50. I mean really! 

 

 

[Exhale]

1 hour ago, ledgrowlights-Craig said:

Is this the Battle of Shrewsbury event? Not been to it myself but it sounds like a laugh! The Shrewsbury flower show is definitely worth coming to see.

 

Yes, yes and yes!

 

Got the autumn show at the three counties ground this weekend (£18 a head to get in, under 16's free with an accompanying adult)) I will probably spend a small fortune and a day muttering "cunt" at ignorant people getting on my tits