The Clyde Exposed
We are a concerned group of anglers who fish the River Clyde and are shocked at the way the fishings in some areas are managed or should we say not managed. Poaching is a major problem yet anything we report seems to fall on deaf ears. The Crown Estates who own most of the salmon fishings have failed the River Clyde by allowing some of their tennents such as the Avon Angling Club (AAC) and the United Clyde Angling Protective Association Ltd(U.C.A.P.A.Ltd) to control the salmon lease but yet break the terms and conditions of said lease namely failing to prevent poaching. Over the next few weeks we the 'Grass Carp' will attempt to expose all of the nonesense that has gone on and which we feel has held a great river from becoming a premier salmon fishery. We will demonstrate how the Crown Estates and the Scottish Executive have sat on the fence and allowed one angling association to bully others. We will direct you to various web sites where evidence of the underhand tactics of U.C.A.P.A.Ltd This site is dedicated to all of the anglers who care but who are not listened to, perhaps now that everything is being made public those in charge might get off the proverbial fence and do the job they are paid to do!!!! We ask that anyone with any evidence of poaching or failure of an association to protect the fish please let us know and we will petition those who should be doing something about it and request written replies.
Biologists attitude to spread of salmon and total ignorance of Fish pass legislation
3 comments:
Can't believe that a supposed fihery biologist would make such statements. He says 'The loch is full of piscine predators and attracts birds too' I was taught that in an ecosystem there is a pyramid of biomass and predator numbers will corrospond to prey species, there is a natural ballance. Are ther not piscine predators in the main river too and the eastaury for that matter? does this mean we should deflect the salmon to an area where there is no predation? He mentions taking salmon away from the main river and that it might reduce numbers. I have studied the work done by the Tweed Foundation and it appears that they are trying to open up every bit of habitat available to salmon. Are they missing the point? Considder this if salmon are left to spawn in the main river only, what happens if there is a major pollution incident? Lets imagine a tanker carrying some noxious or toxic chemcle skids and crashes into the Clyde at the bottom of the Larark Brae where will all your salmon be then 'Dead' or at least all those in the river including juveniles at the time of the incident. Salmon should be encouraged and assisted to repopulate the rivers where their ancestors once swam before man built dams and weirs. The old saying is never keep all of your eggs in one basket and this should apply here too. I also noticed that the biologist had read studies on lakes in regards to predation and it didn't make for good reading. We have Lochs in Scotland many of which have pike in them such as Loch Lomond yet the smolts seem to fare ok. Finally he also wonders if the salmon will be able to find the South Calder these wonderful fish can navigate thousands of miles to reach their native rivers I dont think a few hundred yards of Artificial Loch will bother them too much do you?
What experience does this Dr Yeomans have in relation to salmonids prior to his employment on the Clyde? He certainly demostrates a certain amout of lack of understanding of the species and the legislation designed to help them. Perhaps he needs to go back to school and learn a bit more about Ecosystems etc.
Dr Yeomans is correct the loch is full of piscine predators so is the river they are called poachers but nothing seems to be done about them. Yes the loch does attract alot of birds especially in the warm weather when many local birds from Motherwell, Hamilton and Bellshill etc decend upon the loch to sunbathe> Is it because the salmon are too young and he doesn't want them corrupted by half naked young female bodies that he is worried about the birds.
Its not the piscine predators that are the problem on the Clyde it is the attitude of some of the clubs and associations that are deemend to be running the fishings. It can clearly be seen from documentation what has been going on behind closed doors. The Clyde is a wonderful river with lots of potential for the future if run properly. It is time to stop all the petty politics and satisfying individuals egos. For the sake of the river its time a body was set up who have the grasp of the bigger picture and not just localised issues. The scottish Parliament should take over the salmon rights which I feel the Crown Estates have grabbed with the revenu raised from leases etc being ploughed back into fishery management and bailiffing. Protection and improvement are the way ahead not reading articles from areas from other areas on predation etc. The Clyde is unique and should be treated as such. What have the scientists got to say about that? What have they achieved in the last 7 years? The Clyde is in the same position as it was 10 years ago yet an awful lot of money seems to have been spent on research. I too must ask what experience does the biologist have in regards to salmon, sea trout, or brown trout for that matter. Has he learned it all from reading others reports? His attitude in regards to the propsed Strathclyde Loch Project stinks and his total lack of understanding of ecosystems leaves a lot to be desired.
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