Fish stocks and control of exploitation
Control of exploitation - Estuary Netting
Habitat Rehabilitation
Other Habitat Issues
Stock Enhancement
RiverBank Maintenance
Fish stocks and control of exploitation
Fish stocks, in particular salmon and brown trout, have declined dramatically over the past century. Currently even sea trout stocks, which form the nucleus of fishing effort on the Dart, give rise to concern. In 1900 the combined rod and net salmon catches amounted to around 5000 salmon killed. In 2006 that figure has fallen to 200 salmon caught with most of that number, including 90% of the rod caught total, released. Those stark figures focus the mind clearly on the issues of conservation.
Association Fishing Regulations based on both catch and method limitation have increasingly attempted to address these concerns.
Recognising that there is little the Association can do, other than support relevant campaigns, to stop exploitation and conservation issues on the high seas, where many of the real problems lie, the Association has been particularly active in matters relating to conservation within the river Dart.
Key in this has been the support the Association has given and continues to give to the Dart Fisheries Association, representing riparian owners throughout the river. The DAA well recognises that a strong and united DFA is essential to the well being of the river. Through a number of DAA Members, who have contributed as Officers and Committee Members of the DFA over the years, many whole river conservation initiatives have been brought forward. Particularly important in these being the implementation of conservation fishing regulations to the whole river, mirroring the voluntary DAA Regulations that had been in place for many years..
Another section on this Website will give the current conservation based Fishing Regulations in force for the Association. These will have been set by the DAA Committee at its first Meeting in January of any year, after carefully consideration, in the light of previous years fishing returns.
Since the early 1990's catch and release rates for salmon have been over 50%, rising to 80% by 2000 and peaking at 90% in 2006! Similar figures for sea trout have seen rates as high as 50%.
Control of exploitation - Estuary Netting
Historically licensed nets on the Dart have killed salmon in a ratio of 8:1, compared with rods. In 1990 some 18 licensed nets remained on the Dart, even though salmon stock decline was already evident. Traditionally there was always some competition and dispute between netting and rod interests. Rods failed perhaps to give full recognition to the common law rights of nets and complained bitterly about the evident disparity in exploitation rates. They cited the economic value of a rod caught fish compared to the commercial value of a net fish as a reason for favouring their method. This argument was a recipe for inertia, whilst those in Statutory Authority seemed prepared to let the wrangle continue and do nothing themselves. In the mid 1990's, Committee Members of the DAA sought to improve relationships with the netsmen, who it transpired were as concerned about future sustainability as the rods. Voluntary restrictions on net catches to match the existing voluntary rod regulations were agreed between both parties in 1997/8, but unfortunately mandatory National Byelaws to protect only spring salmon were, with the support of the Environment Agency at a National Level, introduced by DEFRA in 1998. This effectively scuppered more substantial local voluntary initiatives designed to protect all elements of the Dart salmon run, not just the spring fish, that were to be annually reviewable to ensure effectiveness.
Salmon netting on the Dart - Photograph courtesey of Totnes Image Bank ©
However despite these National Byelaws and despite continued restrictive voluntary measures of restraints by rods, both rod and net catches continued to decline throughout the next few years. Eventually, in 2002/3 the Environment Agency supported by some elements of the DFA, attempted to broker a rod buy- out of all of the Dart Nets. Unfortunately and misguidedly this attempt was based on coercion and was always doomed to failure. In the end negotiations broke down and lead to ill-feeling and dispute between various factions involved, despite there being a common agenda. DEFRA, via the Environment Agency, then went ahead and imposed unwanted, ill conceived in conservation terms and unwarranted additional mandatory byelaws, that impacted adversely on both rod and net interests.
Undaunted, certain DAA Committee Members continued to negotiate with the netsmen, who were themselves split into two factions, those that would accept a buy-out package and those who wished to retain their common law right to net. Eventually, once the way forward could be seen with the netsmen, the DAA Members were able to take this issue back to the DFA. From then on real progress was made. A joint presentation, by both the DFA and the netsmen, to senior DEFRA and EA staff, was made based on voluntary resolution and withdrawal of the recently introduced additional byelaws. In late 2005 the issue was successfully resolved with the DFA, supported by the Agency and other organisations and individuals, including a sizeable donation from the DAA, making substantial payment to the vast majority of the netsmen to cease fishing for the next 10 year period. They would only be allowed to return in such numbers as the EA would decide if the stock level permitted at the end of the period. However it is thought unlikely that any additional nets will return. Importantly 3 netsmen declined to leave their fishery and remain, but on-going voluntary measures of restraint were agreed with them.
2006 saw the first year of reduced netting effort. DAA Members of the DFA were able to negotiate that all 3 remaining netsmen would not fish at all for a 4 week period in June. They were subsequently able to negotiate commercial sponsorship of this initiative, to enable a compensatory payment to the netsmen, at no cost to the DFA. At the same time they were able to negotiate with the netsmen a limit to their catch of no more than 16 salmon per net to be killed in the season (maximum total kill of 48 salmon), with all fish over 10lb to be returned.
In return the DFA agreed to limited compensation for any salmon returned by the netsmen. This initiative and co-operation worked and it will now be for the DFA to negotiate similar measures in forthcoming seasons. It is important to maintain good working relationships with these netsmen who provide sorely needed management information about stock levels and importantly police the estuary to keep off poachers, who might otherwise be tempted to try to net there.
Over the past few decades artificial changes to the river environment, particularly on the important nursery and spawning areas on Dartmoor, have had a severe and often negative impact on the sustainability of the fishery. Key factors have included water abstraction, land drainage, afforestation, particularly with acid inducing conifer forests, agricultural pressures from the use of chemical fertilisers and pressure to keep more stock, sewage pollution, with ever more complex chemicals in the resultant discharge and of course people pressure, as Dartmoor becomes an ever more popular and accessible tourist area.
As a result of the above we have seen diminished flows and reduction in the "wetted area", which is so essential to juvenile production and survival. At the same time there has been a vicious cycle of increased weed growth often choking and covering known spawning areas. Increased nutrification from the use of fertilisers on surrounding land coupled with increased bank erosion from stock and people pressure leads to increased siltation and impaction of the river bed, this in turn leads to even more weed growth and this in turn leads to ever more silt being trapped and increased impaction.
For well over a decade now, through the DFA, and in partnership with the Environment Agency, the DAA has assisted in an annual programme of redd rehabilitation.
This has involved the manual removal of excessive weed growth from selected spawning areas in the late summer and raking of the spawning gravel to free the impaction. This is back breaking work, but well worth the effort, when on returning during the early winter spawning season both salmon and sea trout can be observed using the freshly restored spawning sites.
The DAA actively encourages its Members to take part in this rewarding voluntary effort.
Details of the work programme for each year are obtainable from the Association Secretary or the 'news' page on this site.
At the time of writing the Association is managing a habitat rehabilitation project on a section of the Woolston Stream, which enters the Dart at Staverton Bridge. This is being done with finance and technical assistance from the EA and the Wild Trout Trust. We are also very grateful for the co-operation of the landowner, Oliver Watson of Riverford Farm.
Electro-fishing - population survey, Woolston Stream project ©
Please click the following this link to see photographs of work in progress on the Woolston stream. The main object of the exercise is to increase light levels to the stream by clearing selected riparian trees. This should allow the growth of lower level vegetation on the bank and promote a greater invertebrate population, thus providing better support for spawning and juvenile fish. The resulting shafts of sunlight can seen in the photos.
Through its involvement with the DFA, the DAA is actively supporting other environmental issues and research. These include ongoing support and collaborative work with scientists from The Westcountry Rivers Trust into issues such as acidification problems on Dartmoor and research into the genetic composition of the unique Dart fish stocks. Our joint aim is to ensure that all rehabilitation effort is best targeted to ensure long lasting and the most effective use of limited resource.
At the same time DAA Members, as representatives of the DFA take part in regular Management Meetings with the Environment Agency, when policies such as the Agency Salmon Action Plan for the Dart feature prominently in discussion.
Recently a DAA Member has represented riparian interests with the Agency in their preparation of a Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy for the Teign, Torbay and South Hams area, including the Dart and its tributaries. Both the DFA and DAA have serious and ongoing concerns about the existing level of abstraction on the river and do not agree with this Agency CAMS.
As this article is being written, the DFA will be discussing with the Agency the results and intended actions under their Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme, that should, if properly implemented, address some of the existing problematical abstractions.
Sewage pollution is an important issue on the Dart. Ongoing research, including DEFRA sponsored work, by Professor Tyler at Exeter University points to a causal link between endocrine disruptors, that are present in most STW discharges, and sex changes leading to infertility in fish. At Buckfast STW , in one of only 3 such locations in the UK, trade effluent from a wool scouring plant at Buckfast Spinning is consented to enter the river. This effluent adds significantly to the problems of other STW discharges, in that it contains numerous chemicals including both residual organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids from the chemicals used in sheep dips. These are known endocrine disruptors and their long term impact on the Dart and its fish stocks remains unknown. The discharge consent for this STW is a highly contentious issue and since the early 1990's the consent has been challenged by the Water Company and has been unenforceable. In 1995, the DAA, in an as yet unresolved issue, called on the Secretary of State to call-in the discharge consent for determination. We are assured by the EA that a revised consent will be published and consulted shortly! Having already waited for 10 years we do not hold our breath! However supported by the DFA, we will continue to campaign for resolution of this issue and in the meantime we continue to urge the Agency to maintain the highest possible dilution factors to minimise any discharge impact. As such we do not consider their CAMS should permit any further abstraction from the Dart and if anything their RSA programme should result in reduction of existing abstraction.
Once again this is an emotive subject and a consensus of opinion is by no means assured.
Fish, both salmon and brown trout, were regularly stocked into the Dart from the early part of the 20th Century. The stocking of salmon ceased with the outbreaks of UDN disease at the end of the 1960's.
However the DAA has continued with the consented stocking of both mature and juvenile brown trout into the lower reaches of the river on an annual basis. Mirroring known research on other rivers, it has been shown that some of these stocked fish migrate to sea and return as sea trout, some as multiple spawners. Subject to ongoing consents from the Agency it is proposed that this annual stocking will continue in future years. Click here to see one member's photographic account of this work from 2004 (external link). At the same time the DAA is currently working with other partners such as the Environment Agency and the Wild Trout Trust to improve spawning habitat on minor tributaries such as the Woolston Stream, to improve the lot of the wild trout, which at the same time might have beneficial repercussions for sea trout stocks and indeed the odd salmon that shares the habitats being restored.
However insofar as salmon are concerned there was a break in stocking following the period of disease. There has been increased debate about the benefits of genetic integrity of individual river stocks and both the cost and effectiveness of artificial stocking. Cynics might argue that given the level of stocking in past generations it is difficult to see how genetic integrity can now be an issue.
In the 1990's, faced with seemingly incessant decline in the salmon stocks, despite the best conservation efforts of the DFA, there was an increased call for artificial stocking of the river with salmon to resume. It was apparent this was against national Environment Agency Policy. After considerable pressure over many years, approval was finally given for a limited experiment, based on the capture of native Dart salmon, subsequent stripping of their eggs and milt and the rearing on of the fertilised eggs to fry stage in egg boxes located on the river.
At this stage emerged two real champions of the river in the Richmond twins! They volunteered to run the egg box scheme and in the years that have past have invested countless hours in looking after "their babies"! Their experience and knowledge of the subject has grown significantly over the subsequent years. They have been assisted in this initiative by Bill Robertson the DFA Secretary who has boxes located on a stream on his land. Initially the scheme was forced by the Agency to take fish caught by anglers on the river in September. DAA Members were keen to assist in the project and successfully landed several salmon that were taken to the hatchery by the twins. Keeping the salmon at the hatchery for the several weeks it took for them to reach spawning maturity proved difficult due to disease. The first years experience was difficult and the success rate was low. In subsequent years more assistance was given by the Agency and since then salmon have been netted on Dartmoor by the Agency, just prior to the spawning period. With improvements to the design of the egg boxes some amazing results have been achieved thanks mainly to the efforts and care of the twins! In the wild, best scientific research points to a maximum survival rate of egg> fry of around 28%. Our stalwart nursemaids have regularly been achieving success rates of over 90%. Not only that, in more recent times they have been able to grow on the swim-up fry to parr stage, thereby again improving on nature by a huge percentage. These fry have been returned to the river in places where it is hoped they will give the best return as adults. The scheme has since been advanced yet further by the DFA in the renting of a suitable pond and the successful growing on of the fry/parr to smolt stage, again it is hoped that this will improve the rate of sea survival. The scheme met with a setback in 2006, when high river levels at the appropriate time meant we were unable to acquire any stock for breeding. Nevertheless it is anticipated that given better weather conditions and providing the health of the twins remains, or the DFA can find replacements the scheme will commence again in 2007.
It should be stated that all Members of the DAA and DFA would prefer a self sustaining fishery by natural means, however whilst we undertake habitat rehabilitation schemes as our first and preferred long term methodology, the current stock levels and need for short term action dictates the importance of immediate stock enhancement schemes. We should all be very grateful to those who negotiate these schemes and even more so to those who invest so much of their time and energy in ensuring the schemes are a success.
On a more parochial theme mention should be made of the ongoing annual bank maintenance schemes lead by the DAA Committee on its own water. it is important that the Association regularly maintains the value of its assets, by ensuring the fishing pools are free of some overhanging cover to facilitate casting, that access to the pools is available and importantly to ensure that the banks do not suffer too much erosion with subsequent siltation as mature trees fall into the river. Regular maintenance of the adjoining trees preserves their life and that of the riverbank.
On Sunday Mornings throughout January, February and March volunteers, including trained chainsaw operatives, from the Association can regularly be seen working together to maintain the riverbank we own or lease. It is a superb way to get to know the river and other Members, who may well pass on their knowledge of the fish lies! Details of the work programme can be obtained from the Hon.Secretary or the 'news' page on this site and all Members are invited to assist within the limitations of their own physical capability. New Members are particularly invited.
