River Deveron Fisheries District Management Plan 2020-2023
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River Deveron Fisheries District Management Plan 2020-2023 Prepared by The Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust August 2020 1 Table of Contents 1. Fisheries Management in the Catchment ................................................ 5 1.1. Strategy ....................................................................................................... 6 1.2. Plan duration ............................................................................................... 7 2. Catchment and population description ................................................... 8 2.1. Commercial salmonid fisheries ............................................................. 14 2.2. Recreational salmonid Angling ............................................................. 15 2.2.1. Angling statistics .................................................................................. 15 2.3. Aquaculture & commercial trout ponds ..................................................... 17 2.4. Fish Populations ................................................................................... 18 2.5. Deveron salmonid stock components ................................................... 19 2.5.1. Genetics ............................................................................................... 19 2.5.2. Brown Trout ........................................................................................ 20 3. Priorities for Management Action......................................................... 21 3.1. Exploitation ......................................................................................... 21 3.1.1. Illegal exploitation ............................................................................... 22 3.1.2. In river estuaries and nets ................................................................... 22 3.1.3. Rod and line exploitation ..................................................................... 22 3.2. Predation / competition ....................................................................... 24 3.2.1. Piscivorous birds .................................................................................. 24 3.2.2. Piscivorous fish .................................................................................... 25 3.2.3. Seals .................................................................................................... 25 3.2.4. Other ................................................................................................... 25 3.3. Fish health ........................................................................................... 25 3.3.1. Disease ................................................................................................ 26 3.3.2. Sea lice ................................................................................................ 26 3.3.3. Other parasites .................................................................................... 26 3.4. Genetic Introgression ........................................................................... 26 2 3.4.1. Stocking ............................................................................................... 26 3.4.2. Escapees .............................................................................................. 27 3.5. Invasive non-native species .................................................................. 27 3.5.1. Crayfish ................................................................................................ 27 3.5.2. Fish ...................................................................................................... 28 3.5.3. American mink..................................................................................... 28 3.5.4. Plants ................................................................................................... 29 3.5.4.1. Japanese knotweed ............................................................................. 29 3.5.4.2. Giant hogweed .................................................................................... 29 3.5.4.3. Himalayan balsam ............................................................................... 29 3.6. Water Quality ...................................................................................... 31 3.6.1. Acidification ......................................................................................... 31 3.6.2. Point source pollution ......................................................................... 31 3.6.3. Diffuse pollution .................................................................................. 32 3.6.4. Changing rainfall patterns .................................................................... 32 3.6.5. Eutrophication ..................................................................................... 33 3.6.6. Oligotrophication ................................................................................. 33 3.7. Water Quantity .................................................................................... 33 3.7.1. Abstraction .......................................................................................... 33 3.7.2. Upland / agriculture land-use and drainage ......................................... 34 3.7.3. Forestry drainage................................................................................. 34 3.8. Habitat Thermal ................................................................................... 34 3.8.1. Changing temperature patterns .......................................................... 35 3.8.2. Loss of shading .................................................................................... 35 3.8.3. Over-shading ....................................................................................... 36 3.8.4. Thermal discharge ............................................................................... 36 3.8.5. Hydro modification .............................................................................. 36 3.9. Instream Habitat .................................................................................. 36 3.9.1. Sedimentation ..................................................................................... 37 3.9.2. Loss of sediment transfer .................................................................... 37 3 3.9.3. Lack of, or excessive, large woody debris ............................................ 37 3.9.4. Canalisation & Dredging ...................................................................... 38 3.10. Habitat Riparian ............................................................................. 38 3.10.1. Loss of natural riparian vegetation ...................................................... 38 3.10.2. Conifer afforestation ........................................................................... 39 3.11. Obstacles to Fish Passage ............................................................... 39 3.11.1. Upstream passage ............................................................................... 40 3.11.2. Downstream passage .......................................................................... 40 3.11.3. Dams / weirs / large water bodies ....................................................... 40 3.12. Coastal and marine ........................................................................ 41 3.12.1. Coastal nets ......................................................................................... 41 3.12.2. Developments ..................................................................................... 41 3.12.3. Other ................................................................................................... 42 4. Development of the fishery and Education and Outreach ..................... 43 5. Population Monitoring ......................................................................... 43 5.1. Electrofishing ....................................................................................... 43 5.2. Smolt Monitoring ................................................................................. 43 5.3. Scale Collection .................................................................................... 44 5.4. Invertebrate Monitoring ...................................................................... 44 5.5. Insufficient data ................................................................................... 44 5.5.1. Genetic status of local salmon, sea trout and brown trout stocks. ...... 44 5.5.2. Numbers of returning adult salmon and sea trout ............................... 45 5.5.3. Angling effort and Exploitation rates of salmon and sea trout stocks .. 46 6. Appendix 1: Delivery of Objectives ....................................................... 47 7. Appendix 2: Key Performance Indicators: ............................................. 55 8. References. .......................................................................................... 56 4 1. Fisheries Management in the Catchment To help manage the local fisheries district in a broad and structured manner the Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust (DBIRT), in consultation with the River Deveron District Salmon Fishery Board (RDevDSFB), Deveron Scientific Advisory Board, Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS) and stakeholders, have written a Deveron Fisheries District Management Plan (DFDMP). The DBIRT is a charitable trust approved in September 2001 (SC032131) which works in tandem with the RDevDSFB on the management of the Deveron Fisheries District. Deveron Bogie and