Thur 4 May          Mark Kane 7lb Gravenue, Alister Scott 8lb Gravenue,     A Devenny 8lb Strabane.

Sat 28 April          A patton 11lb Gravenue.

Rain forecast early this week might bring the river up, good tides and there’s the possibility of grilse putting in a show soon.

Derg  Too early for salmon but worth a throw for good quality brown trout.

Note: Lots of smolts around the Mourne and Derg at the moment: please handle with care!

Sunday 22 April         Gary Wolfe 10lb Gravenue

Monday 23 April         A Murphy 8lb Woodhole

Thursday 26 April       S Curran 9lb Gravenue, J Winters 8lb Gravenue

Friday 27 April           Simon Preston 11lb Gravenue and lost a grilse; J Connors 9lb Gravenue; T Farrell 10lb Gravenue; G Hamilton 4lb (returned) Back of Mill

Saturday 28 April       Andrew Loughlin, 12lb Gravenue

Derg  Some small hatches Hawthorn and Olives are encouraging a few good brown trout to rise in the afternoons. A local Ardstraw man had a nice trout over 3lb during the week. Sion Mills and above Strabane is still the place to be for a good chance of a spring fish. Given a bit more water a fish or two will probably move upstream towards Victoria Bridge. It looks like high pressure to the north will give us a generally dry week. There’s a slight chance of rain early in the week otherwise bright with clear cold nights.

Note: Lots of smolts migrating downstream lately; please handle with care!

It’s as good a time as any to be looking for a springer, what with good water, good tides, rain on the forecast, the Finn getting fresh runs of fish. Get your fly in the water: you won’t catch one at home!

Mark Gough, NM Tackle, Sion Mills  Tel: +44 (0)28 8165 9501

Web: www.nmtackle.com Email: info@nmtackle.com

www.facebook.com/nmtackle

It was a difficult week for locals and visiting anglers alike on the Mourne, with frequent showers pushing the river up and down like a yoyo, typically April. The first half of the week was a washout with a small dirty flood but by Thursday things began to improve: from Sion Mills waters J McLoughlin had a 6lb fish from Purgatory on the fly and J Tinney had a fish around 11lb from Higgins Stream. From Strabane & Lifford Anglers’ waters there was another fish landed but details are sketchy. Total for the opening fortnight is approx 8–9 fish, with a few more lost and others seen.

Rain forecast for the coming week and good tides should ensure there is a chance of a fresh fish in the main pools between Sion Mills and Strabane. The Gravenue, Purgatory, Woodhole, the Mars and Lords Hole, the Blackstone and Higgins Stream are all likely spots.

Derg Time enough until late May.

Mark Gough, NM Tackle, Sion Mills  Tel: +44 (0)28 8165 9501

Web: www.nmtackle.com Email: info@nmtackle.com

www.facebook.com/nmtackle

Download letter to Mr Attwood here

Catch & Release Letter to D Anderson

Ministerial Visit

October 2011

This document was considered in depth by FASTA at its recent AGM.

Summary

This is a wide ranging document containing some 19 policies in relation to trout in particular, and other matters, especially Policy 11, where reference is made to the voluntary buy out of salmon nets by anglers. It is informative on the life cycle of both sea trout and brown trout.

It is a document that is overdue, given the decline in sea trout numbers over many years. Within it is a combination of aspiration and the dead hand of prescription. It is a matter of regret that the LA has imposed a whole series of regulations in recent years on anglers ranging from logbook filling to hook size to mandatory catch and release. This avalanche of regulation, foisted on law-abiding anglers, is turning a relaxing sport into something alien to that pursuit. The overuse of regulation does indicate a reactive management rather than a proactive model which does not foster confidence among the angling stakeholders.

The Policies

Many of the policies outlined are sensible and pragmatic. Some are worthy of more consideration. Policies 7 and 15, which seek to prevent serious damage to fisheries and to seek to improve prevention of escapees, are a case in point.

On the Foyle, a stretch of sea trout fishing was decimated due to the extraction of gravel. This action was perfectly legal yet the damage will take years to undo.

On the Camowen, a hydro scheme was put in place, which will allow coarse fish to enter an area where they were absent hitherto.

On the Mourne system, there are persistent reports of pollution emanating from a fish farm. In the same area and upstream from the farm, there are consistent reports of rainbow trout which are escapees. They may not be able to breed but we believe the native brown trout are in serious decline in that specific area.

Near Ardara in Donegal, there was a major incident in October 2010 when thousands of mink were released from two farms by animal rights’ protesters. Only the prompt action by the local fishing and shooting clubs in the immediate area prevented the decimation of fish on the spawning beds in that area. In the previous programme for government, the mink farms were to be closed. However, the new government did not pursue this course of action. The animal rights’ activists have promised to repeat their action. FASTA is advised that security at these sites is not fit for purpose. These farms pose a real and enduring threat to the Finn/Reelin catchment spawning head-waters.

It should be noted that what has been outlined above demonstrates a clear threat to part of the system now and should have been addressed rather than a proposal made to address them in the future.

Policy 14 again points to prescription rather than to proactively addressing the problem. There is strong anecdotal evidence that the commercial nets would have taken the large early running sea trout in the first two weeks of the season. To attempt to restrict sea trout angling without due consideration to restocking on waters eminently suitable for same is a triumph of dogma over pragmatism.

Policy 11 is a significant if overdue development. Anglers would have a positive attitude to a voluntary buyout of netting licences as long as a package would be based on the original hardship fund and those left fishing would have their season proportionally reduced. Legislation would be needed to ensure that no new licences would be issued. FASTA is acutely aware of the decision of the Agency to introduce new netting licences on Lough Foyle when it was apparent that the system was already in distress.

Policy 14 relates again to restricting angling in terms of the sea trout population. Restrictions on angling are in place on the Finn/Reelin catchment. The result of this measure has resulted in the vast majority of anglers not fishing. Incomes to riparian owners have been drastically reduced. Angling tourism on the catchment is dramatically reduced. Tackle shops have suffered a drop in turnover. There is a resultant increase in angling effort on other rivers. The attitude of the Agency is that anglers will have to change their ways. Such an attitude does not give us confidence in those charged with managing and developing the system. Measures other than catch and release, which were suggested, were ruled out. It is the view of FASTA that other options should be considered before the drastic action of mandatory catch and release is put in place. It should be noted that the option of a five-year rolling restocking programme in selected sites should form part of the policy. Mandatory catch and release is deemed a failure of the fishery management and yet there does not appear to be any accountability within the Agency for this failure.

FASTA notes the aspiration in Policy 19 to collaborate with others in implementing the strategy document. However it cannot but also note that the pitch is rather crowded. The afforestation of the upper Derg has resulted in the increased acidification of that river, with the result that the quality of wild brown has suffered drastically. The sea trout have effectively disappeared. Before any restocking can contemplated, remedial action to rebalance the acidity of water has to be undertaken. The NIEA is leading the hydro programme on rivers within NI and seems to be leading the fishery expertise in this matter. How can there be collaboration when the voice of the Agency is neither heard nor seen to be taken on board?

It is time, at joint ministerial level, for a review of the function and role of the Agency and the place of the Agency in these matters should be enacted as necessary. FASTA is aware that the Agency is managed by both governments and that the wheels of political bureaucracy turn in a tortuous manner. However, the vast majority of anglers are not interested in the political background of angling. They are concerned with having an abundant resource that can be shared with tourists in a regulated manner. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that if it is perceived that the Agency is underperforming, calls will be made for the dissolution of the Agency in favour of the two jurisdictions managing the system.

Conclusion

As stated previously, this is a document with some 19 policy proposals. It is worthy of consideration. It is possibly the first step in an attempt at transparency and therefore a welcome development. The acid test will, of course, be whether the views of the anglers and their organisations will be taken into account and acted upon. The history of the Agency to date in terms of inclusiveness with the angling stakeholders has not been a fruitful one. The number of anglers on the system purchasing an annual rod licence exceeds some eleven thousand people and yet they are not directly represented at main board level at the Agency. In the main, angling clubs are well structured and well run. Private owners also are, in the main, responsible and involved in the running of their fisheries. Anglers have consented to the system being managed by the Agency. It has now put forward a trout strategy, which, like the curate’s egg, is good in parts. FASTA would advise caution in how matters will be progressed. Omagh anglers are an excellent example of how the trout resource has been managed. They have, over many years, restocked where necessary and managed their brown trout resource in an exemplary way resulting in an excellent fishery which is a source of pride to the local community and an important tourist attraction. The system has not necessarily benefited by significant overregulation with regard to the salmon resource. It is to be hoped that renewed interest in the sea trout and brown trout resource by the Agency will result in an enlightened strategy where restocking will play its part and overregulation will be used as a management tool of last resort.

The link below is to the Loughs Agency’s website page with the document under consideration here. Scroll down to the actual Trout Strategy document.

Trout Strategy