On October 26th I Joined representatives from several local angling clubs at a March For The Torridge. Over sixty from various organisations gathered to demonstrate their support for efforts to work together for the long term health of North Devon’s rivers. It is very apparent that there is a great deal of passion for our rivers with many working to get the issues that are impacting upon their health higher onto the political agenda. The Taw and Torridge Estuary Forum work with the North Devon Biosphere on a catchment based approach. It is essential that all parties put aside their differences and unite in the interest of the rivers that are the vital arteries of the land.
I was asked to say a few words and told of how I had witnessed the dramatic decline of salmon in the Torridge a river that a few decades ago saw catches in the hundreds. This years total rod catch is less than a dozen. Surely a symptom of a wider ecological issue?
We are calling on you to join us at the upcoming March for Clean Water on Sunday, November 3rd in London. This is a great opportunity for anglers to make their voices heard on the urgent need for clean, healthy rivers and waterways, and we need as many of you as possible to join us.
We’ve already shared a video featuring our ambassador, Paul Whitehouse, alongside Bob Mortimer, encouraging support, now we’re asking you to be there with us in person. This march is about showing the strength of the angling community and the passion we have for protecting our waters.
Event details:
Date: Sunday, November 3rd.
Time: Assemble from 11:00 AM, march starts at 11:45 AM.
Location: Albert Embankment, London, SE1. Zones C-D, look for signs on the lamp posts & the Anglers Against Pollution banners.
Rally: The event will conclude with a rally at Parliament Square from 1.30 PM finishing around 3:00 PM.
Speakers: Penny Gane from Fish Legal and Angling Trust ambassador Feargal Sharkey
We’re asking everyone to wear blue as a show of solidarity, if you want to carry an old rod, or make up your own Anglers Against Pollution placard to show that the angling community stands united in the fight for cleaner, healthier waters. Your presence at the march will send a powerful message.
If you can’t attend, you can still support by sharing our social media posts to help spread the word.
This is our chance to make a difference, and we need you with us. We hope to see you there!
Salmon are in trouble. Ask anyone involved and they’ll tell you how bad it is and who’s to blame (it’s always someone else).
It’s so bad that the Atlantic Salmon is now officially an IUCN Red List Endangered Species in the UK. In Ireland, the population has collapsed by 80% in 20 years. Other places and other salmon species are not far behind, and the word extinction really has entered the debate.
We can see this decline by watching the way the money flows. Just about everywhere the value is slowly ebbing out of salmon fishing, almost no matter how or where we do it, and from mega-trawler to rod & line.
Sure, we can remove dams and nets, replant catchments and clean up pollution to help mitigate the decline, but they’re not enough.
This crisis is universal, which is of note, because not everywhere has nets or fish farms or pollution or management corruption. Indeed, some have none of the above, yet their salmon are in trouble.
One of Scotland’s most exclusive rivers, the Helmsdale, used to be a place where fishing was accessed via dead men’s shoes. Royalty graced its banks and the management was so discrete as to be almost uncontactable. A rod on the Helmsdale was a mark of status. Now the Helmsdale has gaps to fill and is promoting itself in upmarket magazines. It has no pollution and no fish farms to blame. Something else is going wrong.
What salmon everywhere have in common is rising water temperatures. This is happening both at sea and in rivers. High temps impact badly on salmon at every stage of their lifecycle, from squeezed and collapsing ocean food chains to overheated redds and undernourished smolts failing to make the journey back to sea. The salmon lifecycle makes them especially vulnerable to warming water.
This is real and it’s happening everywhere. Check out the Missing Salmon Alliance for a thorough breakdown of these combined threats. Their rallying call is Cold, Clean Water – which is as succinct a summary of the salmon’s plight as you can find anywhere.
And it’s not just salmon: Entire food chains are wobbling. In recent years 10 billion snow crabs have gone missing from Alaskan waters and the most plausible explanation is starvation in warming seas. A few years ago 100m Alaskan cod went AWOL for the same reason: Warmth increases fish and crustacean metabolic rates, so they have to eat more just to maintain body weight. At the same time the warm water suppresses growth in their food supply. So they need more, get less and starve. It’s becoming a regular feature of ocean life.
Worse, the increase in metabolic rate may also increase salmon’s need for oxygen beyond the ability of their gills to fully deliver. If so, that too would inhibit growth and reproduction.
To understand why, we need to do some time travelling because today’s benign weather wasn’t always a given. Our ancestors had a much tougher time than us.
About 17,000 years ago the world was in the depths of the last Ice Age. We humans scraped a marginal existence as hunter-gatherers. Life was freezing and the world was a whopping 5c colder than nowadays.
Global Temperatures from mid-Ice Age. With thanks to Andrew Dessler, Texas A&M University.
We hit our stride about 10k years ago when the climate warmed and delivered a sweet spot that stuck. We could sow crops, expect to harvest them and feed our expanding population. Great civilisations formed. We could also hunt and fish for nature’s seemingly boundless resources such as the herbivores that roamed the plains and the fish and whales in our seas. The post-glacial world was rich in opportunity.
This is the Holocene Era: The time when the Earth and its climate came good for humans. There were blips along the way: a few major volcanic eruptions that caused cooling and short-term global famines, for example. But since the end of the Ice Age, Planet Earth’s climate has been stable and very hospitable.
Then came the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of the fossil fuel era. We are about 250 years into it now – the red zone below.
The Carbon Era Temperature Spike (closer to 1.4c now): Andrew Dessler, Texas A&M
Current predictions are that temperatures will likely peak at about +2-3C, with growing confidence that it will be a lot closer to 2C than 3C. The hoped-for 1.5C target is surely a lost cause.
We have understood the basic science behind this since the mid-1800s. It’s not difficult – excess CO2 is pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere. We can measure it very accurately. We know the science is good and that what’s happening now is unfolding as scientists predicted it would (my first TV report saying the Holocene could unwind was nearly 30 years ago, and I was in Antarctica reporting established science, not breaking new ground). The scientists even got the speed of change about right, although as a layman I’m shocked by what we’re seeing now:
NASA animation of global temperature change since 1880:
We’re hitting temperatures not seen for 125,000 years and it’s going to get worse. When we finally stop pumping out CO2, we will revert to a long, slow cooling trajectory (business as usual). It will take thousands of years to get back to where we were just 250 years ago ( NASA ). That’s one heck of a hangover from our CO2 party that we’re giving to future generations.
It’s not all bad news (below). Climate scepticism is fading, clearing the way for better political engagement. The graphic below shows that only the 10% or so on the margin are still drinking neat Clorox. This group are mostly hard-core conspiracy theorists and have bucket lists of competing dire consequences they expect to suffer. You’d think climate doomsterism would be right up their victim-centric street, but I don’t think they will ever shift their position by much. I suppose they believe that one day they’ll be proved right and they won’t be the only ones dying of vaccine-preventable diseases or in G3/4/5 radio mast attacks.
The remaining 90% of us are increasingly concerned about climate change. The dial is shifting.
Tracking the decline of Climate Denial 2013-2023
So where does this leave the salmon?
The answer is worrying: We can do a great deal to adapt to and mitigate the impacts, but the bottom line is that we’re stuck in a pattern of decline that won’t end until we tackle the root problem. The Earth is getting too warm and it’s happening too fast for the fish to adapt.
Tghe UK River Summit is to be held beside the River Wandle in London on May 21st. It looks like it will be very intersting event for those who are passionate about rivers across the UK and beyond. Please see information below: –
This unaffiliated event, curated by an independent team comprising of Claire Zambuni, Emma Sandham and Iona Mackay, aims to facilitate a forum for interesting parties and stakeholders involved with the range of issues affecting UK rivers. Set at Morden Hall on the River Wandle in London on the 21st May 2024, The UK River Summit & Festival provides a platform for collaboration and communication on the current issues and solutions required to improve the health of our rivers.
Bringing together environmentalists, policy makers, regulators, campaigners, anglers, media, businesses, politicians and members of the public who all share a desire to work towards a more positive future for our rivers, this event offers interested parties the opportunity to build relationships and network while also finding time to celebrate our rivers, engage in community-led initiatives, and experiences based on the river Wandle.
Following the success of the inaugural UK River Summit on the River Test in Hampshire last year, this event moves to the River Wandle, a unique chalk stream flowing through an heavily urbanised area intertwining a rich historical past with a current ecological importance.
Claire Zambuni, Founder of The River Summits & Festivals said “The UK River Summit offers the opportunity to discover some of the valuable work going on and the knowledge to affect change, as well as celebrate our rivers based on an extraordinary chalk stream, the River Wandle. We are hugely grateful for our partners’ support on this unique event. We hope the Summit helps present a collaborative voice in demanding positive action for our rivers and waterways. In this general election year, the need for action and to engage politicians to work across parties to resolve this crisis, has never been greater.”
Penny Gane, Head of Practice at Fish Legal said, “With the state of our rivers and lakes rarely out of the headlines, this event is an opportunity for local people to find out what is being done to turn things around.”
As we navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing planet, the key to environmental progress lies in facilitating continuous dialogue between various players – from government officials and NGOs to businesses and the public. This event aims to bridge these gaps. Attendees will gain informed knowledge from key environmental stakeholders, be able to ask direct questions, work collaboratively to find solutions, and celebrate our rivers.
Date, Location, and Schedule:
Tuesday 21st May 2024 at Morden Hall, South-West London
Event opens at 9.30am
From 9.30am: Coffee morning with YETI
The UK River Summit panel “It’s not all about sewage” begins at 10:15am
Lunch at 12:30pm
Afternoon panels and activities from 1.30pm – 6pm
“It’s not all about sewage” summit panel speakers include:
Penny Gane – Head of Practice at Fish Legal
Dr Bella Davies – CEO at South East Rivers Trust
Shaun Leonard – Director at Wild Trout Trust
Jim Murray – Actor and Founder of Activist Anglers
Dylan Roberts – Head of Fisheries at Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
Dr Jack Hogan – renowned local historian and member of The Wandle Piscators, The Fly Connection & South East Rivers Trust
Hannah Gunter – Proteus Instruments PHD Associate
Dr Hannah Fluck – The National Trust
Afternoon panel discussions include:
“The Freshwater Emergency: from scarcity to abundance” River Action UK panel chaired by CEO James Wallace, and speakers including; Philip Duffy (CEO, Environment Agency) Lila Thompson (CEO, British Water), Feargal Sharkey (Activist, SERA Chairman), Lawrence Gosden (CEO, Southern Water), Helena Horton (The Guardian)
“Future of Farming” with Mike Blackmore of Wessex Water, Ed Ayton of Abel & Cole, Henry Clemons of Knight Frank, and JM Stratton Ecologist Robin Leech
“Effecting Policy in Rivers” including Penny Gane (Head of Practice, Fish Legal), Stuart Singleton-White (Head of Campaigns, Angling Trust), Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat Candidate for Carshalton & Wallington), Dani Jordan (Surfers Against Sewage), Ashley Smith (Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, WASP), Stewart Clarke (The National Trust) and Shosha Adie (ENDS Report)
Cross-party discussion on water security for the future with leading politicians including Toby Perkins (Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Nature and Rural Affairs), Tim Farron (MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), and more to be announced
“The History of the River Wandle” talk with Dr Jack Hogan
Film Screenings include:
“Fish Legal” and “Hydrotherapy” film screening by Friction Collective
“Black Samphire” and “This is Shit” – films by River Action UK
A brand-new animation from The Beavers Trust
“The River Nar: A chalkstream restoration” by Wild Trout Trust
“50 years of salmon monitoring on the River Frome” by Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
“Our Wild Salmon” by Fisheries Management Scotland
“Britain’s Hidden Fishes” by Jack Perks, narrated by Jeremy Wade
30pm “Wandle: A River at Risk” film screening with panel of cast and crew including Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Carshalton & Wallington at 5:30pm
Afternoon activities include:
Hands-on workshops and river walks with South East Rivers Trust
Introduction to Fly Fishing 101s & Kit with Orvis UK
Wandle Piscators ‘Meet the Cast’ casting instruction and learn about local fly fishing and conservation
Wandle Industrial Museum: textile printing demonstration and display of works by William Morris, Kilburn, and Liberty’s
Entertainment from The Funny Terns: performance by comic musician duo at 12.30 and 3.30pm and more.
Art Exhibition (including works for sale) with Jo Minoprio, Julia Manning, Elly Platt, Dexter Kazmierkiewicz, and Al Simmons.
Stands from The National Trust, The Rivers Trust, Abel & Cole, YETI, Orvis UK, Knight Frank, WildFish, Fish Legal, River Action UK, RS Hydro/Proteus Instruments, and more.
Tickets include refreshments and lunch, and all activities on offer during the day.
All tickets must be bought in advance before 17th May
Event partners include The National Trust, Proteus Instruments, South East Rivers Trust, Fish Legal, Orvis UK, River Action UK, The Rivers Trust, Surfers Against Sewage, Filson, The Wandle Piscators, The Wandle Industrial Museum, Delivita, Lakedown Brewing Co., and Abel & Cole.
For more information please contact Zambuni Communications on the details below.
Communication and collaboration: The key to environmental solutions?
Set to take place at Morden Hall on the River Wandle, London, on the 21st May 2024, The UK River Summit & Festival is an event which promises to be a platform for collaboration and communication to improve our river health.
Bringing together leading international, national and local environmentalists, policy makers, businesses, individuals, brands, and members of the public who share a desire to work towards a more positive future for our rivers, this event offers environmental stakeholders the opportunity to build relationships and network while celebrating our rivers, engaging in community-led initiatives, and river experiences.
Following the success of the first two River Festivals in France (2022, 2023) and the inaugural UK River Summit on the River Test, a famous chalkstream in Hampshire, in June 2023, this new event now moves to the River Wandle, a unique urban chalkstream which celebrates a rich historical and ecological importance.
Claire Zambuni, Founder of The River Summits & Festivals said “Morden Hall, London, situated on the River Wandle, is a fine venue to host a Summit about the state of our rivers in the U.K, as it is a location which serves as a reminder of how nature, river wildlife, and urban life can peacefully co-exist. It is also perfectly positioned as an accessible oasis in a bustling city, meaning we are able to welcome a much wider audience to this event. We invite the public to learn first-hand the issues our rivers are facing and distell our anger to make a positive change.”
As we navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing planet, the key to environmental progress lies in facilitating continuous dialogue between various players – from government officials and NGOs to businesses and the public. This event aims to bridge these gaps. Attendees will gain informed knowledge from key environmental stakeholders, be able to ask direct questions, work collaboratively to find solutions, and celebrate our rivers. Date, Location, and Schedule:
Tuesday 21st May 2024 at Morden Hall, South-West London
Event opens at 9.30am
• The UK River Summit Panel begins at 10:15am
• Lunch at 12:30pm
• Afternoon activities from 1.30pm – 6pm
Summit Panel Speakers include:
• Penny Gane – Head of Practice at Fish Legal
• Dr Bella Davies – CEO at South East Rivers Trust
• Shaun Leonard – Director at Wild Trout Trust
• Jim Murray – Actor and Founder of Activist Anglers
• Dr Jack Hogan – renowned local historian and member of The Wandle Piscators, The Fly
Connect Don & South East Rivers Trust.
Afternoon actvites include:
• River restoration and hands-on outdoor experiences with South East Rivers Trust, Fishing for Schools, the Wandle Piscators, The National Trust and Orvis UK
• Panel discussion “Effecting Policy” including Penny Gane, Head of Practice, Fish Legal, Stuart Singleton-White of Angling Trust, Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Carshalton & Wallington, and Shosha Adie of ENDS Report
• “The Freshwater Emergency: from scarcity to abundance” River Don UK panel chaired by CEO James Wallace, and speakers including Lawrence Gosden of Southern Water, Lila Thompson of BriDsh Water, Feargal Sharkey, key policy makers and investigators
• “The History of the River Wandle” talk with Dr Jack Hogan
• Wandle Industrial Museum: textile printing demonstration and display of works by William
Morris, Kilburn, and Liberty’s
• “Wandle: A River at Risk” film screening with panel of cast and crew including Bobby Dean,
Liberal Democrat Candidate for Carshalton & Wallington
• “Hydrotherapy” film screening by Friction Collective
The Funny Terns: performance by comic musician duo
Art Exhibition with works from Jo Minoprio, Julia Manning, and moreTickets:Tickets are now on sale here: UK River Summit – Orvis UK
Tickets include refreshments and lunch, and all actvites on offer during the day.Event partners include South East Rivers Trust, Fish Legal, Orvis UK, River Action UK, Filson, Fly Fishing for Schools, The Wandle Piscators, The Wandle Industrial Museum, Delivita, and Lakedown Brewing Co.For more information please contact Zambuni Communicatons on the details below.PR Contacts
Claire Zambuni | [email protected] Emma Sandham | [email protected] Iona Mackay | [email protected]
Data is vital in telling a story it’s not exciting, entertaining but it can be depressing and in the case of salmon and sea trout it’s a horror story. I caught my first salmon from the River East Lyn back in 1981 a year when 22,190 salmon were landed by rod and line anglers in England and Wales. Most of these fish were killed and taken for the table.
In 2022 the total rod catch for England and Wales was 6,388 of which 6.111 were returned. I doubt if 2023 will reveal any improvement in catches. The most alarming part of this is perhaps the steep decline in stocks since 2017 with catches plummeting from 13,571 to 6,388.
I am no mathematician and I know that data can be manipulated to some extent but this is stark.
To some extent the data is impacted upon by changing fishery regulations and fishing effort.
I am often asked what is the cause and I reply its complex.
An imbalanced eco system, Survival at sea, pollution, consequences of intensive farming, habitat loss, sewage, predation, poaching, salmon farming, overfishing, climate change, pollution, disease.
Beneath each heading there are many variables but I would hazard a guess, no lets google it. The world population in 1981 was 4,524,627,658 (around 4.5 Billion) it now stands at 8,045,311,447 ( just over 8 billion). So, the common denominator is likely to be a rapidly increasing population and an obsession with increasing GDP.
Where on the political agenda is the environment?
Salmon are of course just one iconic species that anglers take pleasure in catching but they are surely an indicator of a wider decline / collapse in the natural worlds eco systems. There is a growing awareness of nature’s decline as marvellous films like Planet Earth bring nature into our sitting rooms where we watch entertained as the splendour of the natural world is revealed and tales of its demise exposed in an unfolding horror story to surpass any Hammer Horror production.
As a young angler in 1981 I thought that salmon would always be present throughout my lifetime. If I am lucky enough to live another twenty years I could witness the extinction of these magnificent fish in UK waters. “Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone”
DATA MAKES FOR GRIM READING
Research and analysis
See Link Below
Salmonid and fisheries statistics for England and Wales 2022
Published 5 December 2023
Figure 1: Salmon stock status in England 2022
Risk value Number of rivers Percentage of total
Not at risk 1 2%
Probably not at risk 5 12%
Probably at risk 6 14%
At risk 30 71%
Is it too late? Maybe not for as nature and its demise climb up the political agenda there is a chance that those who care will do what needs to be done to address the many issues that impact upon salmon and the wider natural world. They say that where there is a will there is a way and there are some clever people out there and if given a chance nature is resilient and can recover.
I will be hosting the film Riverwoods with the National Trust at Loxhore Village Hall on Friday. October 6th at 7.00pm. Tbe film will be followed by presentations and discussion on rivers salmon and wildlfe. A very relevant evening in light of the latest news highlighting the dramatic declines in nature. I look forward to catching up with a few of you on the night. Tea, Coffee and biscuits will be provided.
Recent rainfall has rejuvenated North Devon’s Rivers and the countryside bringing a lush green to the landscapes. I have reported several salmon caught from the Taw and Torridge over recent days and was delighted to make connection with a special fish myself, more of that later. On leaving the River I was delighted to receive a message from Paul Carter who had just netted a fine fresh run silver salmon from the Middle Taw estimated at 15lb.
The guys from Shady River Fishing have been enjoying some excellent fishing higher up the River catchments targeting wild brown trout. Euro Nymphing tactics producing some stunning fish in the high water conditions. The pick of recent catches being this stunning wild brown of 14” that was estimated at 2lb.
Visit ‘shady river fishing’ on Instagram.
The middle Torridge was looking close to perfect when I arrived for a morning session. Peering into the river I could easily make out the stones at a depth of 18”, the water was the colour of the finest ale. The water glistened in the morning sun and I admired a large silver wash fritillary butterfly as it settled upon bankside grass. I paused for a minute or two sitting on the bench as the river flowed past. A juvenile buzzard mewed above a sound synonymous with August and the passing of summer.
I waded into the cool water and grimaced as I felt a leak in my waders. I put a line out across the river allowing the fly to drift across the flow searching for the increasingly illusive Atlantic salmon. It was good to be here following the familiar pattern of casting, drifting and stepping down through the pool.
At the point where I knew salmon had taken my fly in the past I felt a strong pull and lifted the rod tightening into a fish for just a few seconds. A chance gone perhaps? The margins between success and failure are often small. I analysed my response to the take, had I lifted into the fish too quickly? It is good practice to allow a little slack to allow the salmon to turn down with the fly but in all honesty the delectable moment of the take is so fleeting. In truth most of the salmon I have caught have hooked themselves or at least I have difficulty in actually visualising that fleeting moment of deception and connection.
I fished on searching the river and its known lies. It has been a little disheartening so far this season to drift the fly over the lies time and time again. Fishing the river in conditions like this even ten years ago I feel certain I would at least have seen a fish jump.
Despite the lack of success and ongoing concern regarding salmon and sea trout stocks I have stubbornly retained a sense of expectation as I fish, whilst there are still salmon to be caught hope springs eternal.
The river and its surroundings have a feel of late summer, early autumn. The invasive Himalayan Balsam are sadly flourishing their pretty pink flowers attracting bees and butterflies. Vivid blue damsel flies flutter amongst the riverside vegetation. Pin head fry flit to and fro in the river’s margins.
After fishing the top of the beat I fish back down searching the water heading for my final casts of the day in the bottom pool.
I wade out into the river once again still hoping almost expectant as this pool has provided many of the salmon I have caught from the Torridge over the years. As I proceed slowly down the pool I hear the piercing call of a kingfisher and glimpse the electric blue as the bird flashes down river. My optimistic heart views this as a good omen.
As I reach the bottom of the pool the line swings round in the current. The line zips delightfully tight and the water twenty yards below erupts as a fish leaps high above the river gyrating at the lines end. The rod hoops over and the fish heads downriver as I relish the moments of drama. For a few minutes salmo-salar dictates making several strong runs and leaping several times. There are a few anxious moments as the fish lunges near to branches on the far bank. Pressure eventually starts to sap the salmon’s energy and I coax the fish up river. The fish holds station in mid river and I slip the net ready to secure my prize. There are tense moments as line is gained and lost at close quarters. I pile on the pressure and the salmon rolls into the net. I wade up to the reed fringed bank above and take a moment to admire my prize. The salmon its flanks decorated in autumn hues signifies that it has been in the river for a while. I slip the barbless hook from its jaw and take a quick couple of pictures with the salmon in the net. I then carefully slide the fish into the river cradling the fish in the current lifting its head momentarily to capture an image. The fish is strong and kicks its tail as I support it. I watch satisfied as the precious fish swims into the ale coloured water to hopefully fulfil its destiny on the spawning redds later in the winter months.
I recieved an email from a reader of North Devon Angling News and have published it here with my reply. Darren’s email mirrors many of my own observations and thoughts on the River and its decline. Many thanks to Darren for giving me permission to publish along with my reply.
Hi Wayne,
I chanced upon the NDAN website and indeed your book “I Caught a Glimpse” this year – excellent reading and nice to see a website so regularly updated.
Both from reading your book and old articles on the website it’s interesting to see the change in target species over the last few decades. We read about the reasons put forward and they seem to be many and varied. It set my mind running on a couple of points of local relevance.
The East Lyn is indeed a beautiful river and, although I wasn’t lucky enough to experience it, I’m sure it’s days of plenty live long in the memories of those who did. But why the drastic decline – with the salmon run a shadow of its former glory and I doubt it’s fished much at all for sea trout nowadays. You wonder what the culprits are. We can’t blame fish farming – the Severn is mercifully free from that industry which seems to have blighted the west coast of Scotland. The twin evils of pollution from farms (pesticide and fertilisers) and sewage discharge from treatment plants can’t be an important factor in that catchment can they ? The brown trout population seems to be relatively healthy so the environment for parr developing to the smolt stage would seem to be good. I’m my limited walks along the river and along the coast looking out to sea I don’t see the preponderance of fishing eating birds and seals I’ve seen elsewhere.
If I’m right in that unscientific guesswork it makes you wonder what’s going on out at sea. I suppose the salmon could be caught in large numbers at or en route back from their feeding grounds (like they used to be with drift nets on my native river Foyle). But surely not the sea trout which, as I understand it, doesn’t travel large distances and feeds around the coast. I’ve no doubt the bait fish such as sandeels, whitebait, etc. are hoovered up in huge quantities which could affect dependant species (although the bass seem to get by).
You do wonder if rising sea temperatures have had a pernicious impact. The reports of cod and whiting seem to have been replaced by smooth hound, bull huss and black bream but I wonder if it’s had am impact upon some part of the life cycle of the migratory fish as well.
Something else that seems unusual to me is the differing behaviour of sea trout in the estuaries. I cut my teeth in the mid eighties catching sea trout with frozen sandeels freelined in the ebbing and flowing tides in the narrow points of estuaries on the Donegal coast. The great times on that have gone now but its still worth a throw. What I wonder about is why sea trout were not caught more regularly on bait and lures in the estuaries of sea trout rivers such as the Teign and the Taw. I’ve fished those estuaries quite a few times over the last 25 years but haven’t seen a sea trout taken. I can’t work out why. Perhaps you’ve seen many caught.
Anyway – I just thought I’d drop you an e-mail to congratulate you on the book and thank you for the helpful website. My head scratching re the East Lyn and seatrout behaviour at just thrown out there in case you happen to know the definite answer !
All the Best
Darren
The Lyn facing drought conditions in the summer of 2022
Hi Darren,
Thank you for your email it is really good to get positive feedback regarding my book and the website.
Would you mind if I publish your email on North Devon Angling News with my own thoughts as set out below.
As regards the East Lyn many of your comments mirror my own thoughts.
There has undoubtedly been a dramatic decline in salmon and sea trout runs on the East Lyn and the vast majority of West Country Rivers.
I have witnessed the decline on the Lyn first hand and it has to be appreciated that the decline that I have seen is based upon just over forty years and that my own baseline would have been much depleted in comparison to an angler who had seen the fish that ran the river forty years prior to that.
The facts on the Lyn and other rivers are to some extent blurred by a reduction in angling since the introduction of catch and release. In the days of prolific salmon runs there were also large numbers of anglers fishing the river. The angling community that once fished the Lyn came from far and wide when conditions were right and I met many anglers on the river who had commuted from London and other areas. These were familiar faces who joined the locals on the river bank jostling for the best spots. I often walk the river and now I seldom see a salmon angler even when conditions are good. Last week I spotted a good fish of 9lb plus resting in Overflow pool and feel sure there would have been other fish present.
Like you I do not believe the River Lyn has significant issues regarding pollution, Water Quality or indeed salmon farming.
The abundance of wild brown trout are testimony to the River Lyn’s water quality.
It is likely that the most serious issue is loss at sea. These factors could relate to the marine eco systems that are in turmoil as a result of climate change, overfishing and an imbalance in predation.
Climate change also impacts upon the spawning of salmon and survival with many scientists predicting that water temperature will be too high for salmonoid species to successfully spawn within the next forty years. Others predict the virtual extinction of salmon within the next twenty years.
One regular angler on the river tells me that otters are decimating the remaining salmon stocks on the Lyn and I have heard of many otter sightings on the river. During drought conditions there are often seals around the river mouth feasting upon salmon, bass and mullet. The juvenile salmon ( smolts) are also heavily predated upon by cormorants that lurk in the river mouth particularly during the spring months.
Another major factor that impacted massively on salmon numbers was UDN during the 1960, 70s and 80s. There was also a recent outbreak of disease that resulted in a large loss of spring run fish.
The reasons for the decline in salmon stocks are undoubtedly complex and I see little reason for optimism though nature has a habit of bouncing back if given a chance. Everything we can do might help, reporting pollution, working with River Trusts and highlighting the decline of an iconic species. It is tragic that the salmon stocks on the Lyn were once so prolific that they could be harvested by anglers and via the salmon trap at the mouth of the river. For many years stocks seemed to be abundant and seemed to bounce back from UDN and natural weather patterns etc.
Across the natural world there has been a catastrophic decline and salmon are just another indicator that all is not well with our world.
As regards to sea trout I have never understood why they are not caught on a regular basis in West Country estuaries. They are as you say caught in Scotland, Ireland, the Hebrides and across Sweden etc.
Best Regards,
Wayne
The sad remains of a salmon at the River mouth during the hot summer of 2022
Later this Autumn Medlar press are publishing a book that promises to deliver more information and thoughts on the history of Exmoors Rivers.
Inspired by tales of the past gleaned from old fishing books, the author sets out to fish those same waters, to cast the same flies on the same pools, to explore how fishing the streams of Exmoor might compare with fishing them over a century ago, whether those streams have changed and how they might be faring today. Exmoor rivers and streams appear pristine, barely changed since Claude Wade described them in his 1903 book Exmoor Streams, yet the numbers of trout he and other long-ago writers reported catching seem unbelievable today. Those streams must once have held an astonishing abundance of fish.
Modern problems affect even upland streams, yet many good folk are dedicated to their restoration and there is much we can do to help. River conservation work can be fascinating and rewarding as we develop a deeper understanding of river habitats through, for example, managing a balance of light and shade, monitoring aquatic invertebrates and cleaning riverbed spawning gravels then watching for their use when migratory salmon return home from the sea.
Those nail-booted, greenheart wielding fishermen of the past have gone but the streams still run on their wild ways, singing their endless songs to the moor. This book is for all who share concern for the wellbeing and conservation of our rivers and streams as well as those entranced by the rise of a trout to a well placed fly.
Orvis UK, Knight Frank, WildFish, Fish Legal, River Action UK, RS Hydro/Proteus Instruments, and more.
