Annual Report 2018

Forth District Salmon Fishery Board The Clubhouse 106 Biggar Road Edinburgh EH10 7DU Website: http://www.fishforth.co.uk/fdsfb Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ForthDistrictSalmonFisheryBoard/ Twitter - @ForthDSFB

Forth District Salmon Fishery Board MEMBERS 2018

Fen Howieson (Chair) (Mandated: Cambusmore) (stepped Tony Cameron (Leny) down March 2018) Aly Dickson (Lanrick) Peter Yates (Mandated: Cambusmore) (from March 2018) Fiona Simpson (Mandated: Crown Estate Scotland) John McKenzie (Mandated: Allan Water Angling & Scott Mason (Mandated: Stirling Council) Improvement Association) (Chair from April 2018) Chris Thomas (Anglers’ Rep) Jason Walls (Anglers Rep) Robert Baird (Anglers’ Rep) Craig Somerville (Anglers Rep) (From May 2018)

Clerk to the Board: Alison Baker Finance: William Anderson, Managed Estates, Superintendent: Lee Fisher 1 Sprinkerse Road, Stirling, FK7 7SN Operations Manager: Jonathan Louis Accountants: Douglas Home & Co 47-49 The Square, Kelso Roxburghshire, TD5 7HW

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MEMBERS 2018 ...... 2

Chairman's Foreword ...... 4

Collection of data ...... 5 Adult Stock Monitoring ...... 5 Catch Returns ...... 5 Counters ...... 6 Juvenile fish stock assessments ...... 7 Genetics ...... 8 Redd Counting ...... 8 Habitat assessments ...... 8 Protecting fish stocks and the aquatic environment ...... 9 Enforcement ...... 9 Conservation Policies ...... 10 Predation ...... 12 Consultations ...... 13 Projects run by the forth rivers trust ...... 14 Generally ...... 14 Catchment-wide projects ...... 14 Education ...... 15 Consultancy activity ...... 16 Specific topic ...... 16 Fish Migration ...... 16 Governance ...... 17 Meetings ...... 17 Complaints ...... 18 Declaration of Interests ...... 18 Equal Opportunities and Disclosure ...... 18 Reporting to Scottish Government...... 18 Financial statements ...... 19

Annual Accounts ...... 20

Looking forward ...... 22

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CHAIRMAN'S FOREWORD With the long dry summer of 2018 behind us now it is time to reflect on the challenges and the triumphs of the year. Many thanks must go to the Forth Fisheries Trust for their continuing support providing time and expertise on often complex regulatory issues. I would also like to thank Managed Estates for ensuring our finances are in order and the tireless work they do to ensure all proprietors are known and aware of their financial burdens. With the Wild Fisheries Reforms and the potential changes an all but distant memory it is business as usual, however I am pleased that with the relatively recent creation of Fisheries Management Scotland there is still a driving force pushing for positive change in the world of fishery management. I would like to thank our Board members for all the support in the last year and to Fen Howieson who stepped down as chairman due to other commitments. The Board nominated me to take over the role and I welcome the challenge to maintain the high standards already adopted over the last few years. It is vitally important that the Board stays focussed on providing clear guidance and support to all proprietors in all fishery matters. Regarding the daily operations of the Board, Alison Baker is providing much needed enthusiasm to push for changes at all levels to ensure the protection of not only salmon and sea trout but the ongoing interests of all parties on and around the Forth area. With regulatory enforcement always at the fore it is good to see these issues being dealt with promptly and efficiently. Lee fisher has been working hard over the last year to establish a network of bailiffs and informants who provide invaluable data in the fight against poaching. This not only takes Lee and his voluntary team over the whole Forth District but to meetings with proprietors, farmers, netsmen and wildlife crime officers to name but a few. This means that Lee is in a particularly well-informed position relating to activities in the Forth area. Working with Alison and Jonathan Louis, Lee has been creating a new bailiff training platform to ensure everyone operating under the Board’s guidance is well trained. I look forward to seeing this rolling out over the next year. Catches were down considerably for 2018 due largely to the distinct lack of water for almost the entire season. The last few weeks of the season having seen rain and an increase in fish catches. I am very encouraged that most, if not all, proprietors have adopted the Fishery Board Code of Practice and a very high percentage of all fish across the area are returned to continue their journey. I look back on 2018 with a sense that things are progressing in the right direction and that 2019 will be a year of stability and positive change. Thanks John McKenzie Chairman February 2019

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COLLECTION OF DATA ADULT STOCK MONITORING CATCH RETURNS The catches reported for 2018 are at the lowest levels recorded since the 1980s.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 5 Year 10 Year Average Average

Salmon Caught & Retained 910 1034 791 613 391 138 253 111 100 45 199 546

Salmon Caught & Released 1170 2399 1783 1601 1166 652 893 1205 831 419 949 1279

Salmon Caught Total 2080 3433 2574 2214 1557 790 1146 1316 931 464 1148 1825

Sea Trout Caught & Retained 234 227 236 836 571 467 51 13 26 3 226 297

Sea Trout Caught & Released 860 773 816 146 92 71 449 222 311 204 229 409

Sea Trout Caught Total 1094 1000 1052 982 663 538 500 235 337 207 455 706

This is disappointing but there are problems with the data shown. The District continues to have difficulties in reporting catches accurately due to the number of clubs and association and areas of the fishery which are under-managed. Until these are resolved accurate data for fish caught will continue to be problematic.

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Despite this there some positives to take from an analysis of the reported figures. The Forth at Stirling reported the same number for fish caught as last year, this despite lack of water through much of the summer. Similarly the mid Teith beats also reported a similar if not slightly higher number of fish (although generally of a smaller size). This section of the Teith also saw the capture of the largest fly caught and released fish in Scotland (Winner of the Malloch Trophy). The lower and higher beats had very few fish caught due to the low water with fish running through when the water came. As these are normally the most prolific beats this has had a profound affect on the overall figures.

The Allan and Carron, smaller rivers and reliant on water, also suffered from the low water, both not catching fish until the end of the season. However the Leven, Avon, Esks and Devon held their (albeit low) number of fish caught in recent years. The Almond has had two poor years in terms of fish reported due to operational issues of the main angling club and also the extensive physical works being undertaken to the barriers which has disrupted fishing. The investment will see improvements in fish caught in years to come. Works continue across all rivers to reduce the impacts of historic industrial pressures and both the Forth District Salmon Fishery Board and the Forth Rivers Trust continue to push for improvements both physical and regulatory.

The Forth DSFB struggles to get accurate catch data. The diverse nature of the fisheries across the district means that most fisheries do not have huts, formal beats or indeed very active fishings. Discussions with Marine Scotland have resulted in us now realising that they are operating both using different criteria for collection (eg angling clubs rather than proprietors) and also that a high number of waivers are being issued. Whilst we understand that their system has developed over time, the importance of this data for calculating the Conservation Limits means that it critical that this information is accurate.

Catch returns is one of the means that the Board can report on the level of fish caught, often then used to related to fish populations. These figures are also now used as part of the calculations used by Marine Scotland Science to assess the categorisation of each river. If these figures are not correct, then the calculations made will by extension be inaccurate. The Board acknowledges that for many fisheries in the Forth, preparing catch data is difficult. Catch data is also used as part of the valuation calculation of the individual fisheries by the Scottish Assessors. It is important that a method of reporting which is accurate and consistent is used. The Board continues to work with others to try and put this in place.

COUNTERS This work is undertaken by the Forth Rivers Trust for the Forth DSFB.

For conservation limit setting, the numbers of returning adults are assessed from angling returns using exploitation rates based on rivers which have fish counters on them. The numbers caught by anglers are checked against the numbers going through the fish counter to determine what proportion of fish are being caught (the exploitation rate). The problem is that fish counters are quite thin on the ground, and there are very few currently being used to feed into Conservation Limit setting. Two are located on the Rivers North Esk and Helmsdale – rivers that might be considered to have little in common with those of the Forth District. It is difficult therefore to extrapolate data from these rivers into our own and expect a high level of accuracy. In any case, it is very problematic to obtain accurate catch returns – the figures on which Conservation Limit setting is currently based.

To improve on the status quo, a national fish counter network is currently under development by the Scottish Government through Marine Scotland. Funding will be sought to feed into a wide network, with new counters being installed in strategic locations. Effective locations would be found towards the lower reaches of rivers, where a structure across the river already exists, at the bottom of fisheries or at the

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bottom of SACs designated for Atlantic salmon. Such locations are likely to be prioritised. The Scottish Trust network has been asked to help locate suitable locations for counters and to provide information which will help to choose which type of counter might be optimal.

For the Forth District, we have pushed for the River Teith to be considered as a priority. A counter might take the form of an array of sonar units and could be based at Lanrick or Blair Drummond. These locations have the attraction of being towards the downstream end of the River Teith SAC. We have already undertaken some trials using a Tritech sonar fish counter, with some success at both of these locations, and imaging sonar could turn out to be considerably more affordable and less disruptive than the more traditional optical fish counters. This would enable the most accurate figures so far to be obtained on the number of adult salmon that actually ascend the River Teith, and would provide us with an extremely interesting and valuable management tool.

Three other locations have also been put forward to Marine Scotland for the Forth District – Fair a Far Weir on the River Almond, Inveresk Weir on the River Esk and Ashfield Weir on the Allan Water. A mixture of acoustic and optical installations could work quite well at these locations and would yield some very useful data.

JUVENILE FISH STOCK ASSESSMENTS This work is undertaken for the Forth DSFB by the Forth Rivers Trust.

It has been a very interesting season for the Trust electrofishing team as this has been the first year of the National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland. This is a Scotland-wide initiative that aims to collect juvenile salmonid data to assess the health of salmon populations in terms of productivity and recruitment. The results will feed into the Scottish Government's Conservation Limit model with the aim of taking the productive quality of each river into account. This is something that is very relevant to the Forth District because many of our rivers are of such variable spawning and nursery habitat quality. Hence, production may have been overestimated for us compared to rivers such as the Tweed or Spey.

The national survey presented a very interesting challenge as our sites were selected for us by Marine Scotland who run the model. It was of the utmost importance that sites were selected randomly, and not influenced by what we expected to find, what type of habitat was there or how easy it was to gain access. As a result, we had a few very long walks and had to abandon several sites as they were too deep, steep or inaccessible to survey. The up side was that we visited rivers we wouldn’t normally go to and increased our understanding of the District. A very strict protocol for carrying out the fully quantitative surveys and entering the data into the SFCC database was followed. This was to ensure standardised data generation across all the Scottish Trusts that took part. Despite the difficulties, we completed 30 new sites within the timeframe required and are much better prepared for tackling the national survey again in the coming season.

Other electrofishing activities took us to the Almond and Avon to monitor for RiverLife (the bullhead seem to be taking over in much of the Almond!), the Devon to assess salmon access in the Dollar Burn (excellent upstream of Dollar Weir, but not so good further upstream of Dollar Burn Mill Race), the Carron to assess salmon access at Fankerton Weir (no salmon found upstream, but an excellent head of trout, and very high densities of salmon downstream).

A total of 82 surveys were carried out, 30 of which were at completely new sites.

Separate reports will be issued on the findings based on individual rivers/fisheries.

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GENETICS This work is undertaken by the Forth Rivers Trust for the Forth DSFB.

In 2018, we completed our genetics scale sample collection for the Forth Returning Adults Project. We have been collecting scale and fin samples since the 2015 season, and have finally reached our target of 75 samples from each river. It has proven very difficult to obtain a sufficient number of samples, but we eventually got there with the help of a few very tenacious anglers. Now we are waiting for an analysis time slot at the University of the Highlands and Islands to have the samples analysed against the Teith and Allan Water baselines established by the FASMOP project in 2012. We look forward to getting the results and finding out how many of the fish caught were actually strays from other rivers.

REDD COUNTING This work is undertaken by the Forth Rivers Trust for the Forth DSFB.

Our redd counting work continued this winter with a redd surveying workshop in Callander. This was delivered under the Callander Landscape Partnership and attracted 10 volunteers from Callander, Doune and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Following the workshop, the volunteers surveyed six sections of the River Teith: the Eas Gobain, Garbh Uisge, Calair Burn, Blackwater, Achray and Kelty. They used a combination of redd data collection forms and an App developed by the Trust. Where possible, volunteers were encouraged to do two surveys, one around Christmas time and the other in mid to late January 2019. Although we are currently waiting to collect and collate the results, preliminary findings indicate a very late spawning for salmon this season, with many redds appearing towards the end of January.

Sadly for the Trust, our redd counting expert, Sylvian, has recently left us and so we are now training up his replacement to continue our redd counting activities next winter.

HABITAT ASSESSMENTS This work is undertaken by the Forth Rivers Trust for the Forth DSFB.

Over the course of the last few years, Trust staff have been carrying out habitat surveys on the River Teith to map habitat such as riffles, pools and bankside pressures. The river has now been fully mapped and digitised from Inverlochlarig at the top, down to the confluence with the Forth, and work has begun on the main spawning tributaries as well. This information can be used to identify potential restoration projects and to allow the Board to plan monitoring and management of the fishery. The maps can be overlaid with other datasets such as predator hot spots, electrofishing results and fishery data to better understand the effect of habitat extent and distribution on the fishery.

Michiel, our Masters student from the Netherlands, has completed much of this digitisation work for us and is doing the same for the River Esk. His aim is to look at the effect of man-made barriers (of which the Esk has plenty!) on habitat distribution and quality. For example, one of his questions is 'Would the Esk be of similar good quality to the Teith if it hadn't been impinged by a series of eight main-stem barriers?' He will be looking at how the distribution of beneficial fish habitats such as gravel bars and large woody debris is curtailed by imposing artificial flow patterns on the river. His thesis should make for interesting reading at the end of his internship.

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PROTECTING FISH STOCKS AND THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT ENFORCEMENT

Enforcement of the legislation is an important activity for the board. This work protects both the fish and habitat that is needed to sustain populations of the salmon and sea trout in the rivers of the District. The Board currently employs one water bailiff as Superintendent who works in conjunction with the Operations Manager (seconded from the Forth Rivers Trust) and both liaise with our expanding network of volunteer bailiffs. A huge thank you to the volunteer bailiffs who support the Boards work.

The working relationship between the Board and volunteers has benefited the Forth Fishery by having more experienced eyes on the ground over a larger area of the District and this has resulted in a greater intelligence flow being reported into the office and direct to the Superintendent. This has allowed the Superintendent the ability to focus on areas which require a more covert approach and resulted in various illegal fishing equipment being seized across the district.

The volunteer bailiffs this year have liaised with local police which has resulted in a number of joint river patrols in localised areas. This achieved a greater awareness of the presence of bailiffs on the water. This has resulted in anglers voicing their appreciation of the work undertaken, an important aspect as these bailiffs undertake this work for no remuneration.

A workshop was given to the local police on illegal fishing methods and the powers of a district water bailiff. This resulted in better working relationship which will help and support the volunteer bailiffs and Superintendent.

In addition to enforcement of fishing offences, the water bailiffs have also been involved with a range of other activities (often in conjunction with Trust staff) including:

Pollution/environmental issues The bailiffs together with the Operations Manager have been coordinating the reporting of pollution events with local anglers and community groups, particularly in relation to sewage overflows and the very visible presence of wet wipes and other ‘sewage litter’. Where these have been reported by local people, often anglers, the Operations Manager has followed these up with SEPA to ensure not only that there is action but also that feedback is provided. Dialogue has continued with Scottish Water and SEPA.

With the low water, the blockage of fish passes has been less of a problem, however volunteer bailiffs tackled Mid Calder Weir on the Almond, Inveresk on the Midlothian Esks and enabled the cleaning of the pass on the Allan at Bridge of Allan. The Operations Manager has also been following up on CAR licence breaches including repair works required on the Lanrick Weir Fish Pass on the Teith.

The Tyne/ Esk team have been very busy assisting with a number of local issues, including the lack of a CAR license at Inveresk Weir. This has been followed through including gaining support from Colin Beattie the Local MSP, and direct dialogue is now on course with East Lothian Council with the Trust being asked to design and install a temporary screen. Breaches were also reported on the Tyne including dumping of rubble, contraction of a track and cattle poaching.

The Devon Angling Association supported by FishLegal and the Trust finally won their court case against Scottish Water relating to pollution at Castlehill Reservoir.

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Training for volunteer bailiffs This year 3 volunteers bailiffs and a member of the Trust staff passed the IFM exam to obtain the basic qualification to become warranted bailiffs. In discussion with the Chair and Clerk the bailiff team have made the decision to withdraw from the IFM exam format and design an in-house educational package which will allow the board to deliver a training system more suited to our district. It will be constructed of set modules and practical applications to bailiffing and the duties expected of a volunteer bailiff.

Information gathering Digital equipment and social media are an integral part of the enforcement of illegal fishing. With platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blogging and fishing forums, the Board continues to maintain a high level of interest and any information gained or any that has been highlighted to us is passed to the correct channel. We also have the facility, should anyone wish to report direct to ourselves to offer a wider variety of channels including phoning the office or Superintendent, messaging us on Facebook or on the Board website.

Targeted Operations A project to map and research our estuary was undertaken by the Superintendent and Operations Manager. Amongst other actions this involved a drone flight to map certain areas of interest within our estuary. The footage of this was put up on our various media platforms and as a result numerous sources of intelligence were reported. The information received allow the Superintendent to coordinate a large operation with a team of volunteer bailiffs. This resulted in a large quantity of illegal fishing equipment being seized and removed from the water.

The Superintendent works closely with Police Scotland, SPCA, Crown Office, Marine Scotland Compliance and Scottish Government as well as proprietors, and especially landowners, fishing clubs and members of the public. Without their support and knowledge the Superintendent’s job would be a lot harder. Further positive dialogue is planned for 2019.

CONSERVATION POLICIES The Conservation of Salmon (Annual Close Time and Catch and Release) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 remain in force making it an offence to kill a salmon before 1st April in the Forth District.

The Trust Biologist is now chair of the Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre as well as sitting on the Marine Scotland Salmon Liaison Group. This national liasion is critical to ensure that the issues which are specific to the Forth are highlighted and we continue to push for better funding and policy decisions for the areas important to us. This includes specific pressures but also the model used to set the Conservation Regulations.

Marine Scotland Science ran the model for the Assessments for the Conservation Regulations again in 2018 with some 'improvements'. The issues of indeterminate angling effort and inconsistent reporting have not, however, been resolved and so stock size estimates remain inaccurate, but the best available to work with. MSS have 'requested' angling effort to be included in 2019 catch returns - this has been implemented with no consultation with the sector, which is again disappointing. Many associations and syndicates will struggle to provide this data and this in the context that Marine Scotland have still not responded to our continued questions of the method of collecting catch returns.

Last year we requested the integration of habitat quality into the model. Whilst Marine Scotland Science has included a change to the egg deposition rate, this is still based on District wide assessments and therefore has resulted for the Forth in some inconsistent figures. The Trust continues to engage

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constructively with Marine Scotland Science to try and get the best out of the current system. But it is clear that the Forth variability of rivers, catches and range of issues doesn’t fit very well into their model.

That said, we do not widely disagree with the categorisation currently related to the Forth. Our concerns are in respect of how the model works to demonstrate improvement and what Marine Scotland Science’s thoughts are how to get the Category 3 rivers to Category 1. This has to be related to improvements on the ground and not a tweaking of the model.

The resultant categories for the Forth were issued within the draft consultation (still to be ratified in parliament):

River Category FDSFB Comments River Leven Category 3 In line with previous agreed Conservation Codes River Tyne Category 3 In line with previous agreed Conservation Codes River Almond Category 3 In line with previous agreed Conservation Codes River Avon Category 3 In line with previous agreed Conservation Codes River Carron Category 3 In line with previous agreed Conservation Codes River Forth & Allan Category 2 In line with expectation and allows more consistent management Teith SAC Category 1 Queries have been raised in relation to the egg deposition rate, but in line with previous agreed Conservation Codes River Devon Category 3 In line with previous agreed Conservation Codes Forth District Generally Category 3 Any other water body not mentioned including the estuary Forth District Coastal Continuation of prohibition of retaining salmon

Some issues with the Conservation Regulations still remain which have been highlighted again in the 2019 consultation: • The reliance on catch returns is unscientific. • There is no consideration of habitat in the model therefore many rivers have an over expectation. • The constant changing of categories is bad for management of the fishery at both local and district level. • The boundaries of the Teith SAC mean that salmon swim from Cat 3 through Cat1 to Cat 2 (this has been dealt with via the Forth DSFB conservation codes). • There is an inconsistency in the reporting condition of the Teith SAC between Marine Scotland and SNH. • There has been no indication on how Scottish Government are intending to improve the Cat 2 and 3 rivers. • There is no consideration of the economic impacts of the categorisation.

These issues continue to be raised at local and national level via Fisheries Management Scotland and directly with Marine Scotland.

The Board continues to aim to achieve 100% catch and release of spring salmon across the District and continues to include within any Conservation Code the return of all fish caught before 1st June and will continue to do so. The Forth is still a recovering fishery with many pressures both historic and current and it is the responsibility of all to ensure that it is handed over to the next generation in good condition.

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The Board also included in the 2018 conservation codes a target catch and release rate on these rivers which have the option to retain salmon and sea trout at 85% and 75% respectively. In 2017 the following rates based on the catch returns were achieved:

River Category Salmon Sea Trout River Category Salmon Sea Trout

Forth* 2 85% 100% Leven 3 100% 100%

Teith 1 95.6% 76% Avon 3 100% 100%

Allan 2 98.5% 99.2% Almond 3 100% 100%

Carron 3 100% 100% Esks 3 100% /

Devon 3 100% 100% Tyne 3 / /

PREDATION Predation of fish and the impacts on fisheries is a live debate both locally and nationally and there are number of issues relating to the management of piscatorial birds and mammals. To manage this problem the Board has to work with many landowners and also ensure that the wider public understand the issues relating to both the impacts and the management. The Forth Fishery is very visible to a large population and these issues need to be managed proactively.

The Board is already in some discussions with other bodies such Marine Scotland, Scottish Aquatic Mammals Society, SNH, RSPB and Local Authorities. It is clear that for many who do not support such activity that any action must be evidence based. This has been the standpoint of the Board in decision making on all actions. Obtaining sufficient information to enable robust appraisals to be undertaken is time consuming and therefore expensive. The Board has therefore taken the following strategy forward in 2018:

1. Collection of local information. The board has asked for information on any sightings including photographs from proprietors. The information received has been very sparse. 2. The board organised a bird count in the spring of 2017 and repeated this in 2018. The number of birds was lower in 2018 than 2017. The 'hot spots’ were the same. 3. The Board commissioned a report of seal management from the Spey Fishery Board. This raises some very difficult issues in terms of practicalities, liabilities and resource requirements for the Forth DSFB to actively undertake this type of management.

At a national level Fisheries Management Scotland have set up a sub-committee for predation issues and this is working with the national external bodies to get constructive and robust information on the licensing and other requirements. The actual requirements from bird counts and what these mean in reality has been an issue in terms of the impacts and response. It is hoped that better guidance and codes of practice will come from this work which will make decision making easier.

The Board will attempt to organise another bird count as many people find it enjoyable, however it is disappointing that the angling community which is most vocal about this issue do not participate.

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CONSULTATIONS By responding to consultations, the Board can influence better practices by others who undertake works in the District. The Board tries to respond to all consultations however it does not have the resource to monitor all planning and CAR applications and it is appreciative of any that are brought to its notice by proprietors and members of the public. In 2018, 23 formal and informal consultations were responded to by the Board.

The Board is a statutory consultee for aquaculture. It responded to one aquaculture consultation during 2018 – SEPA's Finfish Aquaculture Sector Plan. Whilst not a statutory consultee for other developments and activities the Board (via the Trust) routinely responds to a variety of applications.

In 2018, the Board provided information and advice feeding into Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS) responses to consultations, including policy positions on beavers, pike conservation measures and stocking as well as SEPA sector plans for scotch whisky and finfish aquaculture

Marine Scotland consult the Board regularly on dredging and sea disposal license applications. A precautionary approach is promoted by the Board when responding to these consultations, advocating care to avoid impacting on the early summer smolt migration in the estuary and firth.

There has been some movement with regard to the offshore wind farms proposed for the outer Firth of Forth and representations have recently been made by the Board to the Forth and Tay Regional Advisory Group regarding the type of monitoring work and research on migratory salmonids that would best be carried out in the area. We expect to see some development of this in the near future and anticipate having an involvement in how the research work progresses.

Many informal consultations are made to the Board and Trust from Local Authorities and service providers to carry out bridge, road, pipeline and bank maintenance, replacements and repairs. These activities require a SEPA CAR license if they could potentially impact watercourses and usually there is a condition to contact the Board and discuss site specific issues for fish and fish habitat. This gives the Board an opportunity to promote best practice and to require due consideration to be given to protecting the water environment.

In order to promote and increase awareness of this process, the Trust has initiated discussions with FMS regarding the production of fish best practise guidance. The production of guidance, showing developers how to stay within the confines of the legislation and adopt best practice, is something that is common for other species of conservation interest e.g. the Bat Conservation Trust's 'Guidance for Professionals'. However, there is no such guidance available for fish, and it is sorely needed. It is hoped official guidance will be produced and published in the foreseeable future, as it will greatly assist Boards in responding to enquiries from those intending to impact the water environment and will help to ensure the appropriate checks and balances are in place.

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PROJECTS RUN BY THE FORTH RIVERS TRUST GENERALLY The Trust has had a very dynamic year in 2018 including changing its name to Forth Rivers Trust in the Spring to more accurately reflect the widening remit and work it does. The Trust still has its specialism of freshwater fish and their habitats but is now working in a wider context. The enthusiasm, dedication and skill has developed the Trust significantly over the last few years. With a staff level of now 17 across many disciplines the Trust is now the largest in Scotland.

The Board continues to provide funding to the Trust to enable the Forth DSFB to discharge its conservation and enhancement remits This for 2018 was £60,000 and for 2018 its looks like the Trust have increased this investment many times over (2016/17 £254,147, 2017/18 £580,000). In 2018, the Trust has been directly involved in the following activities on behalf of the Board: • Monitoring and scientific data gathering by electrofishing and habitat surveys to inform management policy and plans – 83 sites surveyed • Continue working relationships with statutory bodies, government agencies, communities and fishery proprietors / organisations across the District together with relevant funding partners to support implementation of projects • Following changes with Scottish Government thinking on Wild Fisheries Reform, engaging directly and via FMS on influencing change. • Provide technical advice on policy and operational matters. • Through targeted educational programmes raise awareness of the water environment and its wellbeing within the catchment. • Review and respond to consultations (planning etc.) and pollution incidents providing advice and training as may be necessary, at both national and local level.

With limited flexible income, this funding for the Trust is a key component enabling them to react to current aspects of management and take advantage of new opportunities. The investment in the Trust generates significant other funding streams many times the original amount - 2017/18 £520,000 and anticipated 2018-19 - £650,000. This does not include moneys invested by others which would not happen without the Trust involvement - including ongoing c.£700,000 per year funding from Scottish Government on barriers work on the Almond.

CATCHMENT-WIDE PROJECTS The Trust continues to manage and develop a number of catchment wide programmes of work funded by a number of other organisations including Scottish Government, SEPA Water Environment Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Sustrans and other local funders. These are:

• Allan Water Improvement Project – This is now in its 4th year hosted by the Trust and delivers integrated catchment management and works to address issues such as flooding, barriers, INNS, etc. Including landscape restorations and management, barrier improvements working with Transport Scotland, brash bank restoration to stop erosion, tree planting to improve the riparian corridor and provide in stream texture. 2017 saw the delivery of a major 95m green bank improvement scheme, successful applications to SRDP funded schemes and continued liasion with flood prevention schemes being delivered by both Stirling and Pert & Kinross Council. The project is now often used as best practice examples and has been used as a showcase to a number of groups and individuals to show what opportunities are available. 2018 saw a review of the project and it is currently producing revised plans for 2019 onward delivery. It was shortlisted for Nature of Scotland Awards 2018 (Main funder: Scottish Government, SNH, SEPA WEF and FCS) (Trust budget: 2018: £30k core funding, supported by SRDP/ACES funding)

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• RiverLife: Almond & Avon – At its half way mark this project has now delivered two barrier easements (with two more on site as this report is being written), coordinated and run a huge number of volunteering projects and opportunities, developed new concept projects such as River Rubbish and Intro to Angling, undertaken extensive monitoring of the rivers and monitors the change both physical and societal. (Main funders: Scottish Government, SEPA WEF, City of Edinburgh Council, West Lothian Council and Heritage Lottery Fund) (Overall budget: £6.7m: 2017 £1.675m; 2018 £1.68m; 2019 £1.5m; 2020 £0.83m. Trust budget: £250,000). • Forth Invasive Non Native Species Programme (phase 6) – This was delivered again in 2018 with limited funding. Treatment continues on the Allan Water, Carron, Almond and Avon. Management of Invasive Non Native Species is being integrated where possible into other projects, eg Allan Water Improvement Project, RiverLife Project etc. • Leven Connectivity Project - Led by SEPA and Fife Council a major project to regenerate the Leven Corridor has started with feasibility funding from Sustrans and SEPA WEF. The Trust is supporting surveys and technical input as well as being part of education and recreational development. (Overall budget: £57m over 5 years (this include regeneration of vacant and derelict land funds) For 2019 - £230,000 from Sustrans and £65k from WEF. Trust budget: c. £50,000). • Callander Landscape Project – led by the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, the Trust is leading on River Restore focused on the River Teith through the area. This has included the development of the River Centre at Cambusmore (which will support training, recreation and education). The centre includes a small facility to produce brown trout eggs for the Fish in the Class projects (following the shutdown of Howietoun). Training and promotion of the river includes intro to angling, survey training and temperature monitoring. (Trust budget - £65k (70% from HLF)) • Cool Rivers - the Trust is working with Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Forestry Commission, SHN and Marine Scotland to develop a programme of delivery of measures to protect the Teith and Forth Headwaters from climate change impacts.

The Trust also responds to informal consultations from Scottish Government, SEPA, Forestry Commission, Network Rail, Local Authorities, Scottish Water and SSE. The process of dealing with these plus ongoing liaison with agencies, local authorities and statutory energy suppliers, as well as local groups and stakeholders, allows the Trust to influence works being undertaken which affect our rivers and also contribute to policy and decision making.

EDUCATION Fish in the Class is a highly successful project delivered by the Trust. Schools and other organisations financially support the work which takes trout eggs into the classroom and allows youngsters to look after them and when ready release these into their local river. The project will be supported from 2019 onwards by the River Centre facility at Cambusmore and additional engagement in respect of collecting brood stock from the local river close to the school is also being developed. Within the RiverLife project, Aspen in the Classroom has also been developed and is being delivered.

The DSFB funding allows the Trust to coordinate this activity and ensures that the costs from third parties are affordable. There is always greater demand than the Trust can deliver and options are being reviewed on further development of this important work.

In 2018, 14 primary schools and two secondary schools were engaged with.

Working with secondary schools has always been more difficult however via the RiverLife project the Trust is developing closer links with geography teachers to develop ways of supporting knowledge transfer and engagement with rivers.

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The Trust works with Edinburgh Napier, Stirling University, Stirling University Aquaculture Institute, Heriot Watt and University of Highlands and Islands. The links include providing assistance to support Masters and Research students.

CONSULTANCY ACTIVITY Like many other areas within Scotland, funding of the Trust activities is always an issue. The Trust has therefore developed a more active consultancy ability, so that it can charge commercial undertakings for both data, assessments, fish rescues and delivery of small works. This has led to the Trust working on a range of projects both within and without the District, adding to capabilities of the staff and contributing to the funding of the Trust to support the work within the District.

Part of this work also includes promoting the requirement for aquatic assessments to be undertaken by developers and contractors before works are carried out - the current requirements from SEPA are far from robust and only include a question on whether there is current fish in the area. This does not in our opinion go far enough in protecting existing and future habitats for species on which our fish depend.

SPECIFIC TOPIC FISH MIGRATION The issues relating to fish migration into and through many of the rivers within the District continues to be a concern. The main area the Forth DSFB is working with SEPA and Scottish Government is the lack of regulation. Without licensing there is no ability to regulate nor are owners of these structures aware that there is an issue.

The Forth DSFB with the Forth Rivers Trust is working to continue to raise this issue at a national level and also with others particularly public bodies who own these assets to get regulations in place.

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GOVERNANCE The Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2013 requires all District Salmon Fishery Boards to operate in an open, transparent and accountable manner. The Forth DSFB prepares a report each year in compliance with the Guidance on Good Governance Obligations: • Section 44 (1) requires preparation of a report and a statement of accounts (which shall be audited) relating to the activities of the Board. The report and accounts are to be considered by an annual meeting of qualified proprietors. • Section 44 (1A) requires the clerk of the Board to arrange for the final report and audited accounts to be published and a copy of these to be sent to Scottish Ministers. Publication is to take place as soon as practicable after the annual meeting of proprietors. • Section 44 (1B) defines the final report and audited accounts as those submitted for consideration at the annual proprietors’ meeting or, if they are revised following that meeting, the revised versions. • Section 46A requires that the annual report contains specific information: a summary of the activity carried out by the Board under their statutory functions in the reporting year; a summary of the proposed activity of the Board for the year to come; information on complaints made to the Board during the reporting period (their number, a statement of the nature of each and how it was disposed of); and a • statement of how the Board has complied with the good governance requirements of the 2013 Act during the course of the reporting year and how they propose to comply in the year to come. As part of this the Forth DSFB voluntarily adheres to the Scottish Government’s District Salmon Fishery Boards Guidance on Good Governance Obligations (August 2013).

This section of the report details how the Forth DSFB meets the terms of the reporting requirements:

MEETINGS The Forth DSFB holds meetings on an approximately quarterly basis at various locations throughout the District. All meetings are open to the public and are advertised on the Boards website (www.fishforth.co.uk/fdsfb). The subsequent minutes of these meetings are also published on the website. Closed sessions may be required for the discussion of matters of a sensitive nature.

It has been agreed that an attendance record will be kept and the attendance for year 2018 has been as follows:

Member Attended Not attended John McKenzie (Mandated: Allan Water Angling & Improvement 3 1 Association) (Chair) Peter Yates (Mandated: Cambusmore) 4 0 Fiona Simpson (Mandated: Crown Estates Scotland) 4 0 Aly Dickson (Lanrick) 1 3 Tony Cameron (Leny) 4 0 Scott Mason (Mandated: Stirling Council) 0 4 Robert Baird (Anglers’ Rep) 0 4 Chris Thomas (Anglers’ Rep) 3 1 Jason Walls (Anglers Rep) 0 4 Craig Somerville (Anglers Rep) (*3 meetings) 2 1

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It was decided to trial a different format for the public meeting. Held separately from the Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors it was devised to allow more information to be presented in a more informal way which would allow discussion. The event was also attended by other organisations who have similar aims in the District. This allowed a wide range of subjects to be discussed and also to see how the work of the Forth DSFB fits in with other organisations priorities and work.

Feedback from the public meeting indicated that most of the attendees stated that they preferred the new format. It has been decided that this format would be continued to be used in 2019.

Triennial elections are required in May 2019 - all proprietors have been contacted to ask them to indicate whether they would like to stand. A further reminder will be sent out with the assessment invoices.

COMPLAINTS The 2013 Act requires all District Salmon Fishery Boards to establish a formal complaints procedure. A copy of the complaints procedure is available on the Boards website.

There have been no formal complaints during 2018.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS All members of the Forth DSFB are asked to complete and keep up to date a declaration of interests relevant to their position on the Board. The most up to date register is available by request to the Clerk of the Board. This has been updated prior to the AMQP 2019 and is available from the Clerk.

The Forth DSFB has been registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner since 15th July 2014.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DISCLOSURE The Board produced their Equal Opportunities and Disclosure statements, which again are available on the Boards website.

REPORTING TO SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT It is a requirement that the Forth DSFB submits its accounts and annual report to Scottish Government. For 2017 this was completed in April 2018 (due to change in timing of AMQP)

Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors A meeting was held on Tuesday 19 February 2019 as an Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors at which the report was discussed and comments received. The accounts were to year end March 2018 were presented and agreed.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The income for the Forth DSFB comes almost exclusively from the salmon fishery assessment. For the collection of the assessment for 2018 (invoiced on 1st April) the valuation roll was extracted on 17th February 2018. For 2018 the income is based on the 2017 valuation. A budget for the year was agreed by the Board in February 2018 (by electronic means due to weather conditions preventing a meeting in time) resulting in the assessment being levied at the £1.15/£1. This was a reduction of the poundage due to the increased value of the Forth Fishery overall.

The day to day management of the DSFB finances is handled by Managed Estates on behalf of the Board. The accounts are independently inspected by Douglas Home & Co. Copies of the inspected accounts can be obtained by contacting the Clerk.

The Board has endeavoured to ensure that the process of re-valuation in 2017 was undertaken consistently and to raise any Districtwide issues however it is the responsibility of all proprietors or occupiers to make appeals or query individual fishery values.

The Forth District Fishery is currently valued at £134,260.

The Board is required to use this figure as the basis of the assessment it collects. The assessment itself is based on an agreed budget for the year. The poundage is the rate in the pound to raise the amount agreed in the budget. The amount raised has to take into account a number of variables including appeals and the results of the issues noted above and the Board will set a contingency so that it does not keep having to change the poundage annually which has a negative effect on river and fishery owner ability to plan.

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ANNUAL ACCOUNTS Income & Expenditure For the Year End 31 March 2018

Period to Period to 31/03/2018 31/03/2017 Income Fishery assessment 144,776 144,936 Donation 3,434 - Other income 620 Sundry receipts 600 584 Interest received 2 12 149,432 145,522

Expenditure Rent - Insurance 2,842 2,545 Wages - - Other operating leases 4,677 4,677 Subcontractors 34,164 40,647 Office expenses & telephone 882 998 Subscriptions 2,714 2,830 Vehicle/boat upkeep & travel 6,629 6,299 Sundry expenses 10,502* 5,622 Training & subsistence 224 678 Clerk’s contract costs 17,850 17,892 Accountancy 2,034 1,998 Bad debts - Bank charges - Donations 61,242 60,000 Depreciation fo tangible fixed assests Plant and Machinery 304 232 Motor vehicles - Computer equipment 203 43 Profit/loss on sale of tangible 300 fixed assets 144,267 144,761

Net Profit/Loss 5,165 761

• this figure includes the contract to deliver the Marine Scotland tagging project costs.

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Balance Sheet 31st March 2018

Period to Period to 31/03/2018 31/03/2017 FIXED ASSETS Tangible Assets 3,229 820

CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 3,602 5,232 Cash at bank & in 103,416 97,529 hand 107,018 102,761

Creditors 5,272 3,653

NET CURRENT ASSETS 101,746 99,108

104,975 99,928

RESERVES Development 32,000 32,000 reserves Retained earnings 72,975 67,928 104,975 99,928

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LOOKING FORWARD Managing the Forth Fishery in a time of falling catches will continue the need to look at new opportunities to support the fisheries and proactively interact with national bodies to ensure that the decision making at that level fits in with the requirements of the area. The fisheries across the Forth are very diverse and existing models in other areas may not be the best fit.

The Board is well supported by the Forth Rivers Trust to allow evidence based decision making, responding to and supporting consultations and requests for information and delivery of projects to ensure that the habitats of the rivers systems on which the fish depend are improved where possible and that the impacts of an ever increasing population and infrastructure on the area are minimized.

A key activity for 2019 and beyond is to support and promote the opportunities to fish in the area. Whilst not directly a responsibility of the Board, it is key to supporting fisheries within the District. The Trust is leading on a funding application to LEADER (supported by the DSFB) which if successful will create a platform to raise the profile of the fisheries within the District.

Due to the diverse nature of the District much of the fishing is currently under-utilized and the Board will look at opportunities to support organizations, in the first instance, who need management support – this includes working with the Crown Estates Scotland on their pilot scheme and discussions with Forrest Enterprise and Local Authorities. This will ensure that there is easier access to permits and also support clubs, associations and other not-for-profit fisheries.

The management of predators will continue under review. Obtaining accurate information is difficult and any direct action problematic in many areas of the District. The Board will contribute where possible into the national discussions and look at any actions which can come out of the report prepared in 2018 on seal management. There is no easy solution to the issues raised both in terms of funding such works and also the interrelationship with other organisations and the public.

With major projects ongoing in the District on the Almond and Avon systems, across the Allan Catchment, on the Teith at Callander and just commencing on the Leven in Fife, the Board will continue to support the Forth Rivers Trust to deliver these improvements. Where the Trust is not actively involved the DSFB will continue to monitor and encourage others, including Scottish Environment Protection Agency, to regulate the rivers effectively including pushing for the licencing of the more than 60 currently unlicensed weirs in the District.

The enforcement team will continue to be developed, including a new training scheme to grow the team in such a way as to ensure that the bailiff can get appropriate support and the DSFB is undertaking its duties in terms of Health & Safety seriously.

In this work the DSFB needs to support the existing staff, Lee Fisher, Alison Baker and Jonathan Louis to allow them to deliver ambitions of the Forth DSFB as a leading, proactive DSFB working for the fisheries and users within the District. The Board will continue to meet on a quarterly basis, with an Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors and also public meetings, when required. Good governance is a key aim and the Board and staff will continue to work within the Code of Good Practice.

The work of the Board and the Trust within the Forth District will be promoted to raise awareness of the improvements being made. The Board will continue to work with proprietors, fishery managers and clubs and associations to assist them to promote their fisheries and ensure that the quality and quantity of the Forth Fishery is recognized.

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Forth District Salmon Fishery Board

thanks the following for their support in its work:

Forth RiversTrust Directors 2018 Fen Howieson (Chairman) Dennis Toon (resigned) Aly Dickson Mike Baillie-Hamilton Jamie Muir John Taylor Fiona Simpson

Director: Alison Baker Operations Manager: Jonathan Louis Senior Biologist: Jo Girvan Allan Water Project Officer: Lawrence Belleni Biologist: Sylvian Barry Allan Water Project Officer: Sandra Stewart Biologist: Gary Brown RiverLife Manager: Nim Kibbler Trossachs Water Vole Officer: Steve Willis RiverLife: Project Officer: Amy Fergusson Trust Assistant: Kyle Hinds RiverLife: Project Officer: Luke Park Consultancy: Tommy McDermott RiverLife: Project Officer: David Eastwood Ecological support: Jack Wootton RiverLife: Capital Works: Scott Robertson Ecological Support: Iain Reid RiverLife: Project Support: Scot Muir Trust Finance Manager: Amelia Heath

Website: http://www.fishforth.co.uk/rfft Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ForthRiversTrust/ Twitter - @ForthRiversT

Funders and partners:

All Forth District Salmon Proprietors (195 Fisheries)

Scottish Government River Avon Federation Scottish Environment Protection Agency East Lothian Angling Association Heritage Lottery Fund Friends of the River Tyne Falkirk Environment Trust Falkirk Council LandTrust City of Edinburgh Council Loch Lomond & Trossachs the National Park West Lothian Council Forestry Commission Scotland Larbert & Stenhousemuir Angling Club Fife Council Devon Angling Association

Fishery Managers, Ghillies, Club and Association Committee Members

The many landowners who allow access and work to be undertaken

Particularly the volunteer water bailiffs

And our many other volunteers who give up their time to support the Forth Fishery.

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Clerk to the Board: Alison Baker

Forth District Salmon Fishery Board The Clubhouse 106 Biggar Road Edinburgh EH10 7DU Website – www.fishforth.co.uk/fdsfb Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ForthDistrictSalmonFisheryBoard/ Twitter - @ForthDSFB

Facts and Stats for 2018

In conjunction with partners the Forth DSFB delivered –

Undertaken 100+ Electrofishing surveys Surveyed 68 Km of habitat Collected information on redds In Upper Teith and Forth catchments Responded to 46 Consultations Cleared (or assisted with clearing) 5 Fish passes Make 12 reports to SEPA for pollution or other damage to river environments Installed two new fish passes (FRT) Installed (or assisted with installing) 55m of green bank protection Planted or facilitated the planting of 1950 Trees Treated 100km of Invasive Non Native Plants Engaged with c2000 Children and families Lifted 4 illegal instruments

Issued c500 letters and invoices

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