salmo
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Post by salmo on Nov 25, 2007 23:13:59 GMT
Most of our members are in the UK but the following highlights some news of a potential crisis across the pond. Frantic discussions are taking place in Norway regarding this year’s poor grilse run. Both numbers of fish and size is of concern to authorities. Many river boards are talking about banning bait fishing and spinning as a means to reduce the number of fish killed in the river. Of course it is not just angling pressure that is to blame, as there are a whole host of factors ranging from acidification through to smolt mortality but it seems there could be some big changes to fishing practices going forward. The river owners associations are keen that everything is being done on the angling front to help the situation. This article has been copied from the Norwegian Salmon Association who campaign very hard to protect the fate of the wild salmon against a lot of opposition. www.norwegian-salmon.com/salmon/index-en.phpIt does make interesting if somewhat gloomy reading. Any thoughts or feedback? salmo __________________________________________________ C&R only alternative to total stop of river fishing? Vacant salmon beats next season due to spin- and baitfishing prohibited? The debate is now hot in many river owner associations; is c&r the only alternative to a total ban of fishing? And as a consequence of c&r, only fly fishing allowed! Well, many places in the rest of the world, fly fishing is the only method allowed when fishing for Atlantic salmon. The administration of salmon rivers for the period 2008-2012, is going to be decided this winter and the principle of administration is estimates and counting of the rivers spawning population. The decline in salmon stocks and especially low run of grilse this season, are worrying. A total ban in fishing, would be a disaster for the river owners and c&r seems to be a solution. We in NSA feel that "population considered release"(pcr) is a much better phrase than catch&release; pcr explains the reason. We also feel that fly fishing must be allowed as many fly fishermen today practice pcr and the best way to ensure the salmon surviving after release, is by fly fishing. It's also a fact that fly fishermen in general, support organisations protecting the environment and the salmon, in numbers much stronger than other groups. We need enthusiasts by the rivers to ensure focus on the rivers! Another matter is the commercial fishing in the sea and salmon farms still allowed operating in the salmon fiords! Sportfishermen will certainly pay their share, but it is a scandal if things in the sea are to continue! (Changed Title from 'in Crisis' to 'Concerned' salmo)
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alta
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Post by alta on Nov 27, 2007 21:59:58 GMT
That is pretty alarming reading on the NSA link!
I know many Norwegians who have a very bad fishing year and yet this seems to be downplayed? Only a few news articles on the subject so maybe they think it is just a seasonal thing??
alta
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Post by charlieH on Nov 28, 2007 10:09:28 GMT
I'm not clear whether Norway has seem a steady decline or whether 2007 alone has been particularly bad.
Although of course we must always be alert to problems, I think it would be a mistake to react on the basis of one year's figures. The grilse run in Scotland was, I think, almost universally very poor in 1999, but it seems that was just a one-off blip, and catches recovered the following year.
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Post by storlaks on Nov 28, 2007 12:32:03 GMT
It seems to be the case nowadays that one bad year makes a crisis. I was inclined to think that Norway's rivers were flourishing over the last decade.....well some of them anyway. It's only 2-3 years ago some of their BIG rivers were having record catches. Swing and rounabouts. Good years, great years, bad years and insome cases very bad years.
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Dec 1, 2007 11:10:36 GMT
Good point storlaks about the variations in numbers for Norway. Statistics can be misleading but the underlying data should never be ignored. If you look at salmon rivers across UK and Norway over the long haul it would be easy to say the same about each dip in numbers as being a bad year. With the benefit of hindsight we can see the saw tooth heading downwards. The conservation argument comes down to taking action early before it is too late.
One of the biggest problems I have seen in Norway is that the daily catch limits are set at 5 fish per day in many rivers. I do not believe that they do enough to monitor the situation when the number of returning fish declines.
If they had better data on returning fish they could adjust the daily limit or specify CR only at very short notice. That way would be better than waiting until the end of the season and then deciding what to do.
salmo
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Post by storlaks on Dec 1, 2007 12:48:09 GMT
Salmo, you are right. However on Gaula, for example, they did introduce C&R measures and restrictions as the season progressed, as the fish didn't appear in the numbers expected. I don't know for other rivers. They have also introduded a 2 fish (chapped) per angler per day limit. If you kill 2 you must stop fishing that day.
Things are slowly changing there and given the state of some of the rivers in the early 90's things have definately improved, but like everywhere, it's an ongoing process and you can never get complacent. C&R is slowly becoming more accepted.
I have found the Gaula very good at making season predictions, taking into account previous years runs and conditions. 90% of the time they are correct. This year, for whatever reason, the grilse and July salmon didn't appear in numbers. Early June fishing was good though. Quite the opposite from what we saw in many rivers in Scotland.
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Post by cheyenne on Dec 4, 2007 16:26:48 GMT
In Norway, on most rivers, the salmon count is determined by the number of rod caught fish and not by counters. In June there were higher returns than normal and fish were larger than normal on the bigger rivers. July was quite normal. End of July/beginning of August returns of summer grilse were way below average on all rivers. Salmon runs were still normal 'til the end of the season AUG/SEPT. (Statistics taken from river associations available on the web. ( in Norwegian)) My conclusion is that salmon returns were quite normal, some rivers above and some below earlier years, the only constant was that for all rivers returns for summer grilse was below par and here I can only conclude that the cause must have been at the feeding grounds and the grilse weren’t getting enough food and didn’t return to the rivers until later in the season, some may have not returned at all, and that we can expect larger returns of grilse next year or the year after. Due to the abnormal weather conditions this year rivers were quite high and for longer periods at a time. On the river where I fish the spates were longer and much higher than normal. Spates were from 1 to 2.5 meters higher than a normal spate making it difficult, but lovely, to fish. Salmon were going right through the pools and from the end of August through September I observed on the beat where I fish that salmon were passing through about 6 hours after high tide (normally they take about 2 to 3 hours ) and this was the only time I had a chance of catching any fish. It was the same for everyone of course and if you were fishing outside of this period when these wee steams of salmon were going through you neither saw nor caught any fish. This resulted in poorer catch returns for the lower reaches of the river but higher than normal for the upper reaches. I expect this was the case for many of the rivers on the west coast of Norway. The Norwegian authorities may be panicking but I see no need to, not yet anyway. Cheers Iain
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Dec 25, 2007 15:45:34 GMT
Salmo, you are right. However on Gaula, for example, they did introduce C&R measures and restrictions as the season progressed, as the fish didn't appear in the numbers expected. I don't know for other rivers. They have also introduced a 2 fish (chapped) per angler per day limit. If you kill 2 you must stop fishing that day. Things are slowly changing there and given the state of some of the rivers in the early 90's things have definitely improved, but like everywhere, it's an ongoing process and you can never get complacent. C&R is slowly becoming more accepted. I have found the Gaula very good at making season predictions, taking into account previous years runs and conditions. 90% of the time they are correct. This year, for whatever reason, the grilse and July salmon didn't appear in numbers. Early June fishing was good though. Quite the opposite from what we saw in many rivers in Scotland. Thanks for feeding back on the Gaula. It does seem to be ahead of the game with a very responsible management style and with it being internationally famous and being able to demand high prices it probably has a good deal to lose if it does not act in a timely manner. I hate to say this but I have found the tourist angler to be more responsible than many locals on some Norwegian rivers. I think there are many reasons but foremost is that they have been exposed to strict conservation rules in USA, Canada and the UK. The other reason is a practical one in that it takes a lot more organising getting your catch home. I came across this article via a Rackelhanen link to villmarksliv.no www.villmarksliv.no/fiske/edelfisk/article174638.eceIt looks like many more rivers will be following the example of the Gaula and others. salmo
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Jan 1, 2008 18:38:00 GMT
I should have worded it Norway concerned? My favourite river near Stavanger is proposing dropping the limit from 5 fish killed per day to 2 in June. www.fylkesmannen.no/roDoes anyone have any information from other parts? salmo
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stu47
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Post by stu47 on Jan 9, 2008 20:02:27 GMT
Which river is that salmo?
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Jan 9, 2008 20:18:16 GMT
Hi Stu,
Bjerkreimselva is my favourite although I also managed to fish on the Suldal last year.
I am hoping to try the figgjo this year if time permits.
The new rules 2008 - 2012 came out on the web and I was not sure if these were for consultation or now cast in stone.
salmo
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stu47
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Post by stu47 on Jan 9, 2008 20:32:27 GMT
Hi salmo, I think the regulations are set now,if not,then next month.Bjerkreim officially opens the 15 june,but in the last couple of seasons has started the 1 june,the only change there is that the 2 fish catch limit is the whole of june,instead of only the extended two weeks.
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stu47
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Post by stu47 on Feb 17, 2008 21:24:41 GMT
there is something going on here at the moment about the new regulations that are coming into force,they could be making C+R illegal,cant make head nor tail of it,just at the moment,seems nothing is concrete,try and keep you informed if it is correct
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Feb 17, 2008 21:57:15 GMT
Thanks for the update stuart.
I have read some reports over the winter on dropping the daily bag limits but I have not caught up with news recently.
Are they saying that CR is unethical or some such thing?
salmo
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stu47
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Post by stu47 on Feb 18, 2008 8:39:40 GMT
Salmo there has been something the on news on tv last week about CR,there must have been talk of opening rivers for CR in the summer to preserve stocks after a bad season last,i read an article just there from the tv news,which stated they are not allowing CR,whether they mean you must knock everything you catch,or up to each fisherman,or riparian owners,to set the scale.Its like most things over here they open very much to your own interpritation,see what comes with it
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Speyducer
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Release to spawn another day
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Post by Speyducer on Feb 18, 2008 9:35:21 GMT
Stopping the Slaughter:
As reviewed in Feb’s T&S:
Bag-netting is to be phased out in the period 2008-2012:
Specified day/week/annual ‘bag limits’ for per-rod catches:
Over the past 7 years, the annual bag-net captures have been 200,000 to 250,000 salmon, and the rod catches (killed) are 120,000 to 150,000.
Following recommendations from NASCO and the International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea, Norway’s Directorate of Nature Management has made some recommendations for the future of Salmon in Norway for the 2008 to 2012 period:
1. No bag-net fishing in number of fjords – Hardangerfjord, Sognefjord, Romsdalsfjord, Førdefjord – which will affect the rivers – Vosso, Etne, Lærdal, Nausta, Nærøy, Årøy, Flåm & Rauma.
2. No bag-net fishing in the inner part of the Trondheim fjord – affecting the rivers Verdal & Stjørdal.
3. A 30 to 40 day delay to the start of the bag-net fishing in coastal and fjord areas in most of Norway, which will have a particularly positive effect on the rivers in the arctic and central Norwegian rivers – Lakselv, Alta, Tana, Målselv, Beiar, Namsen, Verdal, Størdal, Gaula, Orkla & Surna.
4. A reduction in the number of bag-net fishing days in other parts of Norway – affecting rivers in the Eastern and Arctic regions.
As for rod & line catches, most rivers will allow anglers to kill one salmon a day, 2 or 3 per week, or up to 10 per season (eg Gaula, Orkla, Namsen), and others will allow one per day, two per week, and between 3 and 5 per season.
However, to allow rod anglers a full fishing day, you will be permitted to release the first, second and even third salmon, but as soon as you kill your fish for the day, you must stop fishing.
What is not stated in the review by Harald Oyen in the T&S article, however, is what happens if you have killed your rod-caught ‘quota’ for the week or year – the implication is that you would not be able to fish at all after that limit is reached.
So, rather than not allowing Catch & Release, the new regulations, (to have been confirmed by 15th February [& for bag netting by 1st March]) seem to be limiting the exposure of the fish to fishing pressure.
Mike
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stu47
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Post by stu47 on Feb 25, 2008 10:06:45 GMT
Salmo, on ethical grounds you should fish for food and not play with the fish,fish feel pain and so on, things in this country are extreme it is either all or nothing.This could mean when you have your bag limit be it either day,week or season you stop fishing.People could have an abrupt end to a holiday or fishing season,this seems to be the way of thinking
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salmo
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Post by salmo on May 20, 2008 19:02:46 GMT
Sorry I missed your post stu47 - it has been a really busy few months for me. I have not even managed to fish the Dee this year because I have been outside the country. You are right of course that the fishing culture is different in Norway and that has to be respected but I do hope that people wake up and do what they can to reduce the number of fish they take. Saying that the majority of the blame has to go out to open water fishing methods, coastal netting and the demise of the smaller species that the salmon feed on. salmo
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