Esks - River management

River Management

Fishery Boards are the statutory body with responsibility for the management of salmon and sea trout stocks.

General powers and duties of fishery boards

A District Salmon Fishery Board may do such acts, execute such works and incur such expenses as may appear to them expedient for:

• The protection or improvement of the fisheries within their district

• The increase of salmon or

• The stocking of the waters of the district with salmon

A district board shall have the powers and duties conferred on them -

(a) Under the 2003 Act

(b) By any other enactment of a district board within the meaning of the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Acts 1862-1868

Contact details

Chairman: Hugh Campbell Adamson

Email: Email Us

Clerk: Dr Craig MacIntyre

Email: Email Us

Bailiffs:

Steve Hawkins, tel: 07810837914

Esk Rivers and Fisheries Trust

The Esk Rivers and Fisheries Trust (ERFT) is a Limited Company (314730) first registered in 2006 with charitable status (SCO37764) granted in 2007. It became operational in May 2008 with the appointment of Dr Marshall M Halliday as the Trust Director under the Chairmanship of Tom Sampson.

Our Aims

• To advance for public benefit environmental protection and improvement by conserving and enhancing all species of freshwater fish and their environments primarily but not limited to the inland and coastal waters of the rivers and their tributaries listed above.

• To advance the education of the public and any other association, company, local authority, administration or governmental body or representative body in:

- The understanding of aquatic ecosystems, including their flora and economic or social activity, and river catchment management.

- The need for, and the benefits of, protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of the aquatic environment.

Our Core Planning Objectives

• Ensuring that all planning decisions comply with relevant legislation and support the designations of all areas within the catchments.

• Recognising that rivers are dynamic and ensure as far as practicable that natural processes are permitted to operate. However, where man-made changes have occurred, remedial action may involve engineering Compliance with ASFB/RAFTS objectives.

• Ensuring that exploitation of all fish stocks is sustainable and to ensure that exploitation by mixed stock fisheries does not threaten stock status.

• Identifying environmental issues detrimental to the aquatic environment and where possible/appropriate establish restorative measures.

• Involving all stakeholders in the planning process, including relevant university departments and other research institutes to restore the potential for natural processes to dominate.

• Adopting a precautionary approach where there is insufficient scientific information available to determine the nature and extent of adverse trends.

• Accepting socio-economic principles in the management of the resource but where there are potential conflicting management objectives/practices to discuss and seek understanding and compromise where possible.

• Encouraging the involvement of institutions in the evaluation of the catchment and its ecology.

• Consulting widely and invite comment and opinion on all matters within the planning context.

• Adopting the advice of national and international bodies (e.g. EU and NASCO) relating to fisheries management.

• Supporting the social and stewardship issues outlined in the Strategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater Fisheries.

• Ensuring that exploitation of fish stocks is sustainable and in accordance with sound management practice.

Funding

The work of the Trust depends on its ability to raise funds to fulfil its aims and objectives for the rivers within the Esk District. There are a number of funding opportunities for some projects which the Trust have initiated. However, we require funds to develop our work and hope that anglers will support the work of the Trust. It will be largely through your support that we will be able to ensure that the rivers within the District are developed to the highest sustainable standards.

More details of the worl of the Esk Riverts and Fisheries Trust can be found at its website.

Fishing regulations

The Esk District Conservation Policy 2020 please check for updates at their Website

• The fishing season will run from 17th February to 31st October for the River North Esk, River South Esk, and River Lunan.
• The season for the River Bervie runs from 25th February to 31st October.
• It is a criminal offence to retain a salmon or grilse prior to 1st May under The Conservation of Salmon (Annual Close Time and Catch and Release) (Scotland) Regulations 2014. By law any salmon or grilse that is severely injured or damaged, dies or is killed before this date must be returned to the river.

Rivers North Esk and South Esk

• In view of the current fluctuating runs of salmon and sea trout, the Board strongly recommends the return of all fish throughout the season, especially in the Spring until 15th June.

River Bervie and River Lunan

• Under the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016, all salmon caught in the River Bervie and River Lunan must be released. The Board strongly recommends the return of all sea trout throughout the season.
• All Rivers
• The Board recommends that the use of single or double barbless hooks be used to secure the safe release of fish. No treble hooks should be used.
• All fish handling should be kept to a minimum to prevent damage to the fish. Knotless landing nets with a small mesh size and a shallow, wide bottom should be used where possible. Inappropriate handling of fish can lead to greater risk of infection from bacteria and the fungus Saprolegnia.
• To help prevent the spread of disease and parasites, such as Gyrodactylus salaris, all anglers should disinfect waders and landing nets prior to fishing.

Biosecurity

For more information on how you can help, please contact the River Esk Trust:

The removal of problem non native species has been funded by a number of organisations including Leader ERDF funds, SEPA, Patterson's Quarries, Scottish Government, RADSFB and Shanks Waste Solutions and SNH. Invasive non-native species pose a threat to the ecology of the river and tackling them is best done on a catchment scale, exactly the scale that a river trust operates on.

We are currently involved on the eradication of Japanese knotweed, the eradication of giant hogweed, the control of Himalayan balsam and the control of North American mink. This project has been very successful with an 80% reduction in the amount of Japanese knotweed in the catchment and reduced area of infestation, the treatment of all of the known giant hogweed stands and the eradication of North American mink in the top section of the river.

To continue the success of this programme we still require more information from anglers about the whereabouts of new untreated stands of knotweed, balsam and giant hogweed, please look at the invasive species page on this website for further identification features and information. We also require more information about mink, the Trust is taking a strategic approach to their removal and is working from the top of the river south. Each year we have to go over the ground that we have already covered to ensure that they are still absent and any that are seen by anglers should be reported to the Trust.

RIPARIAN INVASIVE NON-NATIVE SPECIES (INNS) PROJECT

The INNS project began in April 2010 and aims to take a catchment approach to tackling invasive species. The main objective is to reduce the spread of Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed along the river bank improving the diversity of native species and improving access. Control work is carried out in a top down approach, starting at furthest upstream colony and working down river. This reduces the chance of any areas controlled downstream being re-colonised by infestations further upstream..

HIMALAYAN BALSAM CONTROL

Controlling Himalayan balsam has been carried out in partnership with the Criminal Justice Service who have supplied community service work groups to cut areas of balsam along the river bank. The work has focused on the area between Three Waters Meet and Woodfoot Bridge and large areas have been cut and hand pulled. Himalayan balsam is an annual plant and the aim of the control work is to prevent seeding resulting in the depletion of the seed bank. Research has shown that this can take between 12 - 18 months.

IDENTIFICATION:

Stems are hollow, jointed and brittle. Plants can grow up to 3 metres tall. Leaves are spear shaped with serrated edges and grow in whorls of three.

Flowers are slipper shaped on long stalks and vary from purplish pink to pale pink.

The plant flowers between June and October.

Seed pods are produced between July and October and explode when touched

JAPANESE KNOTWEED

Japanese knotweed is a perennial plant which grows from an extensive underground rhizome system. Although Japanese knotweed in the UK does not produce seeds it is highly regenerative and can grow from a tiny fragment of stem. Treatment has largely been carried out using a stem injection system delivering a shot of herbicide directly into the plants water reservoir. Where stem injection is not an option the plant will be treated using a knapsack sprayer. So far, approximately 1500 M2 of Japanese knotweed have been treated with last year's treatment showing encouraging signs of success.

IDENTIFICATION:

Stems are green with red or purple specks and can grow up to 2-3 metres tall in dense cane like clumps.

Shield or heart shaped green leaves..

Creamy white clusters of flowers appear between August and September.

Catch and release

Rivers North Esk and South Esk 


• In view of the current fluctuating runs of salmon and sea trout, the Board strongly recommends the return of all fish throughout the season, especially in the Spring until 15th June. 


River Bervie and River Lunan 


• Under the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016, all salmon caught in the River Bervie and River Lunan must be released. The Board strongly recommends the return of all sea trout throughout the season. 


All Rivers 


• The Board recommends that the use of single or double barbless hooks be used to secure the safe release of fish. No treble hooks should be used. 

• All fish handling should be kept to a minimum to prevent damage to the fish. Knotless landing nets with a small mesh size and a shallow, wide bottom should be used where possible. Inappropriate handling of fish can lead to greater risk of infection from bacteria and the fungus Saprolegnia. 


 

These recommendations may be updated and to keep up to date with policies on the North Esk, South Esk, Lunan and Bervie please check the Esk Rivers Fishery Board's Website.

Release the fish in the water.

Helpful tips.

• Use strong tackle
• Play the fish quickly
• Always use a knotless net
• Keep the fish in the water at all times
• Never lift a fish by the tail
• Use long-nosed forceps or a hook releasing tool to gently remove the hook