02/03
It seems likely, if not certain, that the EA Bye law brought in last summer, will be rescinded any day now. This will be a relief for the association. Confirmation and further detals will be posted asap.
Category: DAA News
Totnes weir pool update
29/02
The work at Totnes Weir is nearing completion . All landscaping around the weir is due to be finished by the end of March .
However work is not yet complete, and members should be aware that access across the weir is also not finished and crossing the weir should not be attempted.
A steel walkway at the back of the building is nearing completion within the next couple of weeks . Once completed the platform/walkway will give access for Association members (only) to cross the weir via a combination locked gate , photographs showing the walkway will be placed on the website once it is available for use . We will probably use our normal combination but will review this possibility and advise members once installed. The new Larinier fish ladder is working and the fish counter installation nearly complete (also should be working by the end of March)
Improvements at the bottom of the old fish ladder are also taking place .
The next year or two will certainly be a learning curve as we adapt to fishing in the weir with the different flows .
Over the next month or two the committee advise all members to treat the area with caution while the final work is completed at the site, and when fishing the weirpool this coming season.
Phil Prowse
Hon Sec .
Revised Bank Clearing Location
Please not that Sunday’s bank clearing will be at Hembury and not TWP. Start time as usual 9.30 a.m
The annual scaffold migration. Holne Bridge !
The new fish pass at TWP
Dart Salmon Emergency Bylaw
Just a reminder now the season has started, that the River Dart Emergency Salmon Bylaw is still in force. This means that all salmon fishing is catch and release with fly being the only permissible method.
It is also not permitted to remove any diseased, dead or dying salmon from the river.
More details here.
Work In progress. The Hon Sec leading from the front.
23/1/16
Extra hands are always appreciated. The Sunday morning work groups are a good way of meeting other members and learning more about the river.
Bank Clearing
The following dates are subject to river height and general weather conditions. We will endeavour to update any changes.
10/1 Abbotsmead to Quarry pool (CC)
17/1 Abbotsmead to Quarry pool (CC)
24/1 Quarry pool to Lower Stile pool (CC)
31/1 Kilbury weir to Austin’s bridge (CC)
7/2 Hangman’s to Park stickle
14/2 Nursery pool to Abbotsmead (Fogden’s)
21/2 Totnes weir pool
28/2 TBC
Dartmoor monsoon
4/01/2016
Happy New Year to all members and friends of the Dart Angling Association.
Well the monsoon broke in early November and shows no sign of abating. What effect this has had on salmon and sea trout spawning remains to be seen. . . .in 2019 at the earliest. Whereas late running fish have had magnificent water to travel on, there must be serious concerns about redd washout. Redd counting has been virtually impossible in the high water but the general feeling is that spawning effort has been sparse, and the absence of sharp ‘triggering’ frosts another worry. Given that fewer fish seem to be returning and that autumn are storms appear increasingly violent, we can be forgiven for being less than optimistic. That said, everyone will be hoping that 2016 brings a welcome change of fortune after last season’s tales of woe.
The Totnes Weir Pool project appears to be pretty much up and running , and though it is any bodies guess how this might change things, it would be a real bonus if it, and the recent force of water, somehow combine to move the build up of silt and create a deeper, healthier habitat for our returning fish to rest in.
The dates for bank clearing will be published asap – obviously last Sunday was a wash out.
DEFRA salmon protection measures
· In light of the long-term decline in salmon stocks, Defra and the EA are considering a ban on the killing of wild salmon unless the rivers or estuaries can demonstrate the fishery is sustainable.
· The changes being explored would include:
– the suspension of commercial net fisheries
– mandatory catch and release of salmon for recreational anglers
– rules on angling methods to reduce the accidental killing of rod and line caught salmon.
· Measures in the Environment Agency’s five-point approach include:
– Improve marine survival
– Further reduce exploitation by nets and rods
– Remove barriers to migration and enhance habitat
– Maximise spawning success by improving water quality
– Safeguard sufficient flows
Press release follows:
DEFRA, 19/11/15
SECURING THE FUTURE OF OUR SALMON STOCKS
New measures to protect wild salmon stocks in English rivers and estuaries by ensuring all fish caught are returned to water have been outlined by Fisheries Minister George Eustice following a summit with the Environment Agency, angling organisations and fishermen today.
The plans, which are currently being explored with the Environment Agency, would be open for consultation in 2016 and would help to address the long-term decline of this migratory species by ensuring more of these iconic fish continue their migration through our rivers and estuaries to spawn. This approach is in line with the 77% of recreational anglers who already return their catch to our waters.
Commenting on these plans, Fisheries Minister George Eustice said:
“The sight of salmon leaping in our rivers has always been an essential element of our countryside, but a combination of factors including climate change means their numbers are in sharp decline and we must act.
“While some of the cause of their decline occur at sea and are beyond our control, this summit will explore what measures we can take to help salmon recover, including creating more fish passes, reducing the taking of salmon through netting and angling, and improving water quality.”
These measures are consistent with the Environment Agency’s existing five-point approach to salmon conservation which includes reducing exploitation by nets and rods, removing barriers to migration, enhancing habitats and improving water quality to increase stocks.
Commenting on these developments, David Rooke, Acting Chief Executive at the Environment Agency said:
“Since 2009 the Environment Agency and our partners have installed 63 fish passes on England’s main salmon rivers, which combined with removing or altering other barriers have opened up 5,767 kilometres of river, and have reduced or removed 44 unsustainable water abstractions on salmon rivers. We’ve already made progress but there is still much more to do.
“Our 5-point approach to securing the best future for salmon will see us increasingly working in partnership to ensure further action to safeguard this iconic species and we can’t do it alone. We’re inviting others to work with us to do all we can to support salmon stocks in future years.”
The UK Government has already supported a number of measures to protect this important species at home and is working at an international level to manage fishing in the North Atlantic salmon feeding grounds at the Faroe Islands and West Greenland.