SALMON catches on River Tweed and its tributaries fell by seven per cent last year.

A total of 7,680 fish were taken by rod and line during the 2016 season - down from 8,091 in 2015 – reflecting a year-on-year downward trend since 2013 when over 14,000 salmon were caught.

There was an even sharper fall in the number of sea trout taken by anglers in 2016 – from 1,280 to 2,323 – the lowest catch in the past decade.

The figures are revealed in the 2016 annual report of the River Tweed Commission (RTC) which highlights a significant decline in catches of salmon, particularly grilse (fish returning after a winter at sea) during the traditionally busy “autumn run”.

“The catches from August until the end of the 2016 season were markedly lower,” states the report.

“October catches were down by around one third and those of November reduced by three quarters.

“The pattern was similar in all parts of the main river and its tributaries.”
By contrast, the number of salmon taken rods in last year’s spring run topped 2,464 – up from 2,030 in 2015 – with the bulk of that catch occurring in April, May and June.

That trend of more catches in spring and less in autumn and its impact on a sector which sustains around 500 full-time jobs is highlighted in the report by RTC chairman Douglas Dobie.

“The norm may become an increased reliance on spring and summer fishing with significant consequences in terms of gross letting revenues achievable on the river as a whole,” states Mr Dobie.

Catches are reflected in the levy – the so-called annual assessment – which the RTC receives from the 160 fishery owners on Tweed who cater for around 30,000 anglers a year.

Total income from that levy fell from £856,000 to £751,000 last year, resulting in a reduction in staff numbers among the RTC’s team of bailiffs and the adoption of “new working practices” within the Drygrange-based organisation.

“At the same time, changing and declining fish stocks require increased protection and further understanding to encourage a quicker recovery and to further plan for the future,” states Mr Dobie.

“I am confident the bailiff team will continue to provide an effective deterrent to all activities which interfere with fish stocks, be they poaching, pollution or obstructions to free passage."

The RTC’s water bailiff superintendent Eddie Weatherly reports “reduced poaching activity” in 2016.

“From May onwards, complaints regarding illegal fishing were mostly related to travelling communities encamped near Galashiels and the RTC worked with local police to manage the situation,” he states.

Despite the decline in overall catches, 33 salmon weighing over 25 pounds were landed on Tweed in 2016 – up from just eight the previous year – with the heaviest (36lbs) taken at Kelso’s Junction Pool.

Nine of these giants were taken from the Upper Caberston beat near Walkerburn.

The report also reveals that 85 per cent of the total rod salmon catch – some 6,500 fish – were returned to the river last year.