Salmon
Success Story - The Sixmilewater River System
Antrim and District Angling Association have had remarkable
success in restoring salmon to the Sixmilewater River system.
The Sixmilewater River is a tributary of Lough Neagh with
a catchment of 117 square miles, and has a salmon Conservation
Limit of 1,013 fish.
Salmon had virtually disappeared from the river by the early
part of the 20th Century. Local anglers, concerned
about the poor state of the river, got together in the late
1950s and formed the Antrim and District Angling Association.
They identified the main problems as pollution, habitat degradation
through drainage works and obstructions mainly weirs built
in the 19th Century for water power to supply the
numerous mills in the area.
The club obtained trespass rights from riparian owners, and
restocked the river with trout from the Ulster Angling Federation
hatchery at Mallusk. Regulations to control methods of fishing
and number of fish caught, together with protection of the
river from poaching and pollution enabled the native brown
trout and Dollaghan (Lough Neagh trout) numbers to improve
substantially by the 1970s. However the Association did not
have the resources to tackle the main problems facing the
fishery.
A major opportunity came in the late 1990s when Sports Lottery,
and Peace and Reconciliation, funding became available. Fish
surveys established that only a small number of salmon were
present, inhabiting only one of the 6 main spawning tributaries.
Few salmon were caught by anglers in most years, often less
than ten.
A grant of £30,000 was obtained from the Sports Lottery to
purchase most of the fishing rights on the river. This
enabled the club to seek compensation from polluters who caused
fish kills on the river. The Association recently received
£30,000 in compensation for one fish kill. Over the last 6
years, over £250,000 in E.U. Peace and Reconciliation funding
has been obtained to develop the fishery. This enabled
the Association to begin to put right the degradation identified
some 50 years earlier.
Association committee members past and present contributed
countless hours of their free time ensuring this development
programme took place;
-
4 fish passes were installed (to enable passage over weirs
)
-
Angling pools were created/improved
-
Habitat for spawning and juvenile fish was created/improved
in the main river and tributaries
-
Trees were planted and access for anglers improved
-
Juvenile salmon and trout were obtained by taking brood
stock from the river to the Department of Culture Arts
and Leisure hatchery at Bushmills. These were planted
throughout the river system in areas where stocks were
low or not present
In 2001 a buy out of most of the commercial salmon sea nets
on the north Antrim coast was jointly funded by The Department
of Culture Arts and Leisure and the North Atlantic Salmon
Fund. Antrim and District Angling Association contributed
substantially to this buy out fund.
Success came more rapidly than the Association had dared hope
for;
2002
Over 100 salmon caught by anglers
2003
Over 50 salmon caught by anglers
2004
Over 200 salmon caught by anglers
In order to enhance future salmon numbers, anglers released
alive back into the river over half of these fish.
The river now attracts growing numbers of angling visitors/tourists.
Money raised from the day ticket sales has enabled the club
to employ a full time manager for the fishery. In 2004
he was able to locate numerous pollution sources, and details
were passed to the Environment Service for action. A number
of anglers were detected fishing without a licence /permit
who will be prosecuted in due course. 46 salmon and trout
spawned on one particular 100m long section of river where
habitat improvements were completed in October 2004. This
work will continue in 2005 and will include an area designed
for access by wheelchair bound anglers. Our thanks are due
to the excellent support from Antrim Council, DCAL and riparian
owners, in our efforts to improve the river. The local
economy has benefited from the number of visitors coming into
the area to fish.
All this has been achieved at a time when salmon stocks are
deteriorating throughout their range in the North Atlantic.
The rivers in the Republic of Ireland have had their worst
year ever in 2004 and scientists are advising a closure of
fisheries in around half of their rivers
The run of salmon in 2004 into the Sixmilewater River probably
exceeded its Conservation Limit for the first time in over
100 years. Much remains to be done, funding is needed to improve
fish passage over several obstructions, provide a fish counter
and further habitat improvements. Pollution continues to be
a major concern, as does salmon netting on Lough Neagh and
by drift nets licensed by the Foyle Fishery administration.
The lesson from this experience to restore/improve salmon
stocks in a river is to take a holistic approach through enlightened
management, improved habitat, restock, reduce exploitation,
and minimise river pollution. The improvement in the Sixmilewater
River system is a practical demonstration that with a determined
effort, maintained over the years, success can be achieved
with the benefits to be enjoyed by the whole community.
Note
The
conservation limit is the number of spawners required to maximise
the next generation.
For
further information on the Six Mile Water Or visit
www.sixmilewater.co.uk
Jan 05 |
