RIVER TAW FISHERIES & CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION AGM

After a day of relentless heavy rain, we drove over the River Taw at Newbridge to witness a torrent of dirty brown flood water racing under the bridge and starting to spill over the flood plain. This was certainly an unusual sight for the last day in March and I thought about its impact on the fish. Any kelt’s’ would certainly be swept out of the system. The downstream smolt migration should now be underway and this significant flush of water will help these juvenile salmon to evade the flocks of cormorants that prey so heavily on them each spring. The raging torrent should also flush away debris and give the river a spring clean. There is of course the worry of pollutants with storm overflows undoubtedly discharging, farm slurry leaking and tons of soil washed from fields.

We arrived at Highbullen for the RTFCA and it was good to see familiar faces at this annual gathering. Chairman Andy Gray gave a warm welcome to the membership many of whom had travelled a good distance to attend. After a couple of crisis hit seasons of COVID and drought it was hoped that 2023 would bring better fortunes. The flooded river presently prevailing would hopefully bring a spring run as water levels drop. The large numbers of kelt caught at the start of the season was very encouraging indicating that good numbers of fish had spawned.

The main focus on river habitat work had been to concentrate on gravel washing but the 2022 drought had severely impacted upon this work.

The 2022 season had seen 53 salmon caught and 83 sea trout.

There was extensive debate surrounding the successful legal proceedings by Fish legal regarding the pollution on the River Mole in 2019.

https://www.northdevonanglingnews.co.uk/2022/12/10/river-mole-polluter-pays-18000-in-damages/

The monies received from this court case will be invested in the future of the River Taw catchment with funds supporting the valuable work of the Westcountry Rivers Trust. The importance of joining Fish legal was highlighted as without their support and expertise the polluters would have escaped justice.

A significant number of migratory shad were witnessed in the Taw during the late Spring of 2022. It is thought that this could be a direct result of the removal of weirs project during the past decade. The presence of these rare fish spawning in the Taw can bring welcome funding to the river for further habitat improvement.

Adrian Dowding of the Westcountry Rivers Trust gave a short talk on the importance of gravel washing works on potential spawning areas. This is part of the SHIP ( Spawning Habitat Improvement Project). Gravel washing removes silt and breaks up compacted gravels enabling successful spawning.

There was passionate debate regarding the frequent pollution of rivers from agriculture and discharge from an antiquated and inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure. An ever expanding population has resulted in an overload with many sewage works working way beyond their design capacity.

Intensive farming is undoubtedly having a negative impact and considerable efforts are being made to work with farmers to control run off and ensure secure storage of effluent and slurry.

There has been a very high take up of Citizen Science Investigation monitoring across the Westcountry. This can provide the EA with valuable data. The North Devon Catchment Partnership brings a collective alliance with various interested parties working together for the good of the river.

https://catchmentbasedapproach.org

The RTFCA believe that working together in common causes is the best way to achieve results regarding water quality, and habitat with the opportunity to pool resources where appropriate.

Harry Chance gave a talk on his work with the Environment Agency as an Agricultural Regulatory Inspection Officer on the Torridge catchment. His work funded by DEFRA ( Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) involves regular farm inspections. The focus is on offering advice and support to farmers to prevent pollution and habitat damage. Regulation is extremely complex and the legal system frustratingly slow. Harry explained the rigorous expectations for farming with mandatory soil testing and adequate controls to prevent pollution incidents. The importance of reporting any suspected pollution or breaches of regulations was emphasised with reports and data essential in bringing potential prosecutions and increased funding.

EA Hotline 0800 80 70 60

When reporting obtain an incident number, take photos, give a grid reference or what 3 word location.

Reports can be made anonymously.

Mr Phil Metcalf and Sophia Craddock gave an informative talk on the Devon Rivers Improvement Project ( DRIP) . This project started on the River Umber that flows through the valley at Combe Martin. The project focusses on flood risk awareness and flood risk. The installation of sensors that measure water depth, Moisture, rain, water quality, including turbidity, nitrates, conductivity, pH, temperature and ammoniums. These provide valuable data that is linked to satellites to give real time data collection.

This project is now being extended to the Little Dart a tributary of the Taw.

The initiative plans to use natural based solutions to reduce flooding and run off. These potential solutions involve woodland planting, cross slope planting, floodplain planting, hedgerow banks, log dams, gulley stuffing, buffer ditches, containment ponds and many other innovative trials.

Floodplain connection is considered a key factor in righting the mismanagement of land over recent decades.

As I attend multiple talks I realise how we need to rethink how we manage the land and our watercourses to enable nature to heal the damage that has been inflicted.

On conclusion of the formal meeting and talks many members remained at the venue to enjoy a delicious meal. If our table was anything to go by many topics were discussed with fishing past and present undoubtedly providing a vast wealth of subject matter. It is always good to make new friends and savour reminiscences of lifetimes spent beside many waters.

Anyone interested in North Devon’s rich angling history might enjoy my book published in 2016. See link below.

https://thelittleegretpress.co.uk/product/i-caught-a-glimpse-ltd-edition-hardback/

A quick update on the River Taw and any events coming up

Dear Members,

I hope that you are all well and enjoying the beautiful weather on the river even if the water is getting a bit low. There are now numerous reports of fish on the Taw. Mark Maitland Jones has connected and lost another already beating my last two seasons put together! It would be great if you would be able to email in any catch reports so that we can forward them to the members.

Also, if you accidentally come across any Shad (Allis or Twaites) it would be great to be kept in the loop. As a protected fish if we can show evidence that they run the Taw it could work wonders for conservation funding!

A few things to report below

Tight Lines

Andy

The Catch – Mark Wormald

Our newest committee member Will Martin was recently invited to Pembroke College Cambridge by Mark Wormald on account of Mark’s new book The Catch. Following Ted Hughes through his fishing diary the catch features the Mole (‘the wonderful river Mole’ as described by Ted Hughes), the Taw, and the Dart. Mark even managed to land a fish out of Watertown at his first time of asking – a feat I am very envious of! Ted Hughes clearly loved Devon and the book is a fascinating read about a fascinating poet and a great deal of mentions of lots of Devonians!

EA Update from Callum Underhill

First off, and most important is a reminder to please report any suspicious or concerning activity to us at the EA or local police, whichever is relevant for the offence that may be taking place. We have a saying that if it isn’t reported, it didn’t happen – because if we don’t know about it then we are obviously unaware it has occurred and thus cannot do anything about it. If you believe you have seen something you may be concerned about in terms of illegal fishing, please call us on 0800 80 70 60. This number is also helpfully printed on your rod licences.

We have a good working relationship with our local Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority. As many of you will know, much of the work of protecting salmonids occurs around estuaries and tidal waters, this often overlaps with the work of IFCAs in their protection of marine species. For this reason, we are both cross warranted in Devon. We have powers under marine fisheries legislation and IFCA officers have powers to enforce salmonid legislation. After sharing intelligence between us and IFCA, I was able to locate two individuals netting the estuary illegally towards the end of last year. I reported them for the offences, and I seized the net as evidence. IFCA have now issued both with sizeable fines for the offences – a good deterrent and a strong message to those who may wish to do the same.

As many of you know, illegal fishing is not the only threat to fish in Devon. My colleagues in other departments are working hard to address other contributory factors to salmon declines, including habitat degradation, water quality and barriers to migration. Some factors are beyond our control, such as survival at sea, but we will do the best we can with our (very) limited resources.

Unfortunately, we had a disappointing outcome on the previous River Mole pollution case, which as you know caused much damage to already sensitive fish populations. We are at the mercy of the courts when it comes to sentencing and some days are better than others. On a positive note, we are now lucky to have some specialised colleagues in the area who will be looking at improving water quality by looking at local businesses and ensuring they are meeting legal requirements. These officers will compliment our other Environment Officers Albert and Andrew.

Many anglers are unaware that we at the EA hold much of the rights to the River Lyn around Watersmeet – a challenging yet rewarding water! We operate mandatory catch and release on our fishery and are able to bring in relevant restrictions when necessary to protect the fish in the river. I am in the process of modernising our fishery, with the potential for digital tickets and well as paper for example. Please feel free to try the Lyn if you haven’t before, or even visit for just a walk and support the local rural businesses up there.

Finally, thank you to RTFCA for being so engaging. All of the members I have met have been friendly and welcoming and the Taw is one of the areas in the patch I am always happy to visit.

I hope to see many more of you over the coming seasons.

Tight lines!

Callum