Help The Recovery of the Wye Salmon

Long overdue

I know from experience and observation of rivers in Scotland as well what has happened on the Wye at White brook where the Pearson family have done some stocking it makes for interesting fishing. Stoking is necessary for the river wye to return to a good game fishery.
Proof of good fishery management is the river Tyne. This what is urgently required on the river Wye.

I wholeheartedly support what you are hoping to achieve. Many anglers in the Northumbria region feel exactly the same . Closing hatcheries is a backward step as restocking is the only answer to declining fish stocks. As the late Peter Gray the man behind the recovery of the River Tyne said "It is a numbers game the more you put in the more you will get coming back to the river."

#1: -  

 Observations of spawning on the North Tyne and elsewhere blows the theory of the fallacy that salmon mate with a chosen female.On the redds it is a gang bang with many males fertilising the females so much for genetic integrity; even very small fish get involved.

As everyone can see stocking doesn't work on the River Tyne!!!!! Even the devious methods the EA have used to nullify the effects of the success of Kielder Hatchery by tagging only one fish in twenty or even more. Drop the stocking at Kielder and the Tyne will soon see its runs dwindle away.

The fish reared from Kielder Hatchery are top class fish fit enough to get to Greenland and back.

It is about time that all salmon anglers should be demanding a better deal from the EA, DEFRA ETC and all the other ineffective organisations and quangoes that get in the way of improving fish stocks in our rivers.

If we continue to alllow these people to manage OUR rivers the way they do we'll have nothing to fish for.

20 years to late but better late than never!

It keeps getting worse and worse over the years I often question myself is it worth spending the money on the licence! Petrol etc. a hatchery is the only way forward for the Wye as all the other projects are clearly not improving the catches.

#79: Geordie Rod - Re:  

 The ineffective organisations & quangos are being paid to do very little to help the salmon. As far as I know WSA are a voluntary body & nobody is seeking any reward for their efforts to help the wye salmon. There lies the difference, protection of jobs will always come first.

Official policy has lamentably failed, so all British anglers should support this very sensible petition to allow local people to implement their plans to restore the Wye to its former glory as a renowned salmon river.

With wild salmon stocks at such low levels it is critical to keep hatcheries open to supplement the rivers natural breeding stock.

With all the finances in the salmon/trout fishing industry e.g. hotels - fishing tenants - beat owners - clubs - tackle manufacturers etc etc . I'm fairly surprised thet the E.A don't allow some form of private vetted stocking venture on some of our wonderful rivers. Surely we can't do any worse than them ?

#85: -  

 The worry of the organisations and quangos is that private voluntary inititive might be successful, so it had to be stopped otherwise some of the comfortable jobs would become very uncomfortable.

It is completely insane to stop stocking. Look at the River Carron in Wester Ross. The salmon run had completely died and it now numbers in the hundreds every year, thanks to stocking. Habitat improvement is of course equally important but the Wye and Usk will never get close to previous numbers without stocking.

Because I am worried about the depleted stocks of wild salmon and the mismanagement of our rivers by the Environment Agency.

I strongly support any efforts being made to overturn the ill considered decision to cease mitigation stocking and to close Welsh hatcheries..The decision was based on opinion rather than evidence.The "evidence" presented to the NRW board was a shameful distortion of information,put forward to support a financial decision.

#17: concerned - Do NOT support this campaign !! 

 This "selective mating" is an absolute hoot! "concerned" has obviously never seen an active redd ! it is an absolute free for all any salmon, including precocious parr get in on the act.So far as nature and evolution are concerned,if a fish is fit enough to reach the redd it is fit enough to pass on its genes. It is just astonishing that so much of the hatchery/stocking debate ignores the prime example in this field; Iceland! they have an enviable tourist/angling industry,hugely successful runs of fish,in some cases on rivers TOTALLY supported by hatchery and stocking efforts.