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OTFA Environment Subcommittee Report for 2008
The 2007 season will be remembered in particular for some memorable spring catches of Sea Trout, indicating a continuing trend in wild stock recovery as witnessed in 2006. Again this seems to be concurrent with a slump in the local Salmon Farming industry with production recently half that of 2003.
However things seem to be stirring in the aquaculture sector again, with every prospective candidate at the local ( and national ) elections, receiving a glossy leaflet emphasising the importance of the local Aquaculture industry, regarding jobs and monies generated. As usual much of these claims and figures were contestable at best. There is a feeling nationally that the industry is gearing up for new expansion, taking full advantage of a whole new swathe of “innocents” in the corridors of power.
Meanwhile wild fish conservation groups across the globe couldn’t believe their luck when Marine Harvest’s largest share holder, John Fredriksen made a statement to a Norwegian newspaper in July to the effect that open net cage salmon farms should be removed from fjords containing wild salmon runs. The industry was in turmoil over the remarks by Fredriksen, himself a keen fly fisher. A huge amount of wild fish and Atlantic Salmon charities across the northern hemisphere signed up to a letter calling for Marine Harvest to act on these remarks.
Back at home the OTFA environment committee were busy in a number of other areas :
SEPA Meeting: Members of the sub committee met with local SEPA officers to discuss various issues of mutual interest. There were a number of pieces of information exchanged as well as common ground identified. It remains the case that we have to keep our eyes peeled for new legislation and consultation that might affect us.
Suso/Sourin Burn obstruction: A member of the public brought the sub committee's attention to the dam beside Mainstream's hatchery on the Sourin Burn on Rousay. On inspection it was found to be a significant barrier to the upstream migration of sea trout. It is unclear how long the dam has been in this condition but we noted that Sourin was the only sea trout burn surveyed at that point in 2007 which had not shown an increase in juvenile numbers. We have liased with both SEPA and Mainstream on this, the ironic outcome being that the obstruction couldn’t be removed without a consent from the former agency. We intend to keep up the pressure on this to get the said obstruction removed as soon as possible.
Boardhouse: Thankfully the matter of water abstraction and the potential effect on trout fishing was resolved with Scottish Water who have found a way of minimising current water wastage that had previously not come to light.
Electrofishing: James Bews became the latest OTFA member to receive electro fishing training from SFCC, and is a valuable addition to our monitoring work for the future. Results from 2007 show that numbers of juvenile trout have increased in nearly all sea trout burns monitored by the OTFA including the site at Burness, where there was a pollution problem last year.
Trout density in the sea trout burns was the highest recorded since this work began in 2004. A density of approximately 3 fish/m2 was recorded at Rossmyre, which is the highest recorded at any sea trout burn so far. We are ever grateful to SNH for funding mileage and ferry costs, which they have further indicated will now be done annually which is very helpful indeed.
Sea Trout Research: Committee member Malcolm Thomson’s PhD research into the local Sea Trout population continued in 2007. This included the installation of a new fish trap at the Burn of Eyrland, which caught over 600 smolts going to sea in spring. Also at the Eyrland Burn, an upstream trap was installed in autumn to capture mature sea trout returning to spawn. In total, 72 sea trout were caught, comprising mostly hen fish up to 6lb in weight. This provides, for the first time, an idea about the numbers of sea trout spawning in an Orkney burn. These trap projects were kindly part-funded by the Atlantic Salmon Trust and the Wild Trout Trust.
Water Framework Directive: Sandy Kerr and Malcolm Thomson have been representing the OTFA at the local AAG meetings. Recent meetings have started to focus on specific water bodies at risk in Orkney, the Loch of Harray being one, due to eutrophication. The presence of the flaps at Brodgar had been raised at the meetings and it had been suggested by some AAG participants that they could be removed. Given this and other issues which are on the agenda, such as salmon farming, it is crucial that the OTFA maintains a presence in this process.
Strategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater Fisheries, Consultation: This current fisheries consultation seemed to suggest the possibility of the document being a backdoor to introduce a Scottish rod licence. However there are many other positive aspects to the framework. We pointed out that fisheries management is significantly different in Orkney from rest of Scotland and highlighted that we should not be cut off from funding targeted at Trusts and Fisheries Boards in other parts of Scotland. We also repeated our belief that a ban on the sale of wild trout would be a very effective anti-poaching measure.
TWG and recent salmon farming publicity: Attempts to revive a plan for an Area Management Argreement (AMA) for Orkney are being encouraged by the OTFA. The previous attempt floundered with the Tripartite Working Group not being able to keep a coherent group of local salmon farmers committed to the project. As mentioned, salmon farming activity may once again be on the increase and there is a need to inform Councillors about the potential threats of salmon farms to wild sea trout and to balance the one-way corporate lobbying that seems to be the norm in local and national government these days. The committee are looking into ways of achieving this as effectively as possible.
I’d like to end by thanking a very hard working committee. If we need reminding of the threat to our sea trout posed by any upsurge in local farmed salmon production, then consider the plight of the Canadians :
On the west coast of Canada, previously pristine pacific salmon habitat is so under threat from Atlantic salmon farms, that some conservation groups along with local native tribes are to start netting the wild smolts from rivermouths and ferrying them past the sea cages and their accompanying clouds of sea lice in well boats, before releasing them out in the open ocean, in an attempt to stem the rapid extinction of these once plentiful species. Could this be the long running salmon wars very own Dunkirk !!?
Tight lines for 2008 and please practise restraint when fishing for wild sea trout or if you are on one of the big fish lochs.
Colin Kirkpatrick
Convenor OTFA Environment Sub Committee