Monday 18 June 2012

Industrial scale salmon netting ends in the Severn Estuary

Using powers given to them under the Marine Bill the Environment Agency have imposed quotas on the net and fixed engine fishery in the Severn Estuary.

This year the quotas have been set at thirty fish per putcher licence, two fish per seine net licence and three fish for each lave net licence. This effectively means the end of the industrial scale commercial salmon fishery in the estuary. There has been no compensation paid as part of this package.

What's particularly important about what's happened is that it has been achieved at a fraction of the cost to angling interests of some other buy-outs (for instance the buy-out of a smaller fishery in the estuary of the Welsh Dee cost a massive £350,000). This is ironic considering the furore created by internet pot stirrers and armchair conservationists over the £35,000 paid jointly by angling interests and the EA in 2010.

The option of allowing a limited heritage fishery to continue ensures equity between rods and nets and is preferable to a complete closure of the net fishery through state action. A spokesperson for the  EA Midland region explained to me that it is important to remember that it is the state of stocks in the Wye (as opposed to the Usk or Severn) that is the driver for the reductions. Therefore, the quotas have been calculated by the EA to recognise the reality of the mixed stock fishery and ensure that no more Wye salmon are taken by the estuary nets and fixed engines than would suffer post hooking mortality under a regime of 100% catch and release.




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