Post by cheyenne on Jan 1, 2008 22:54:51 GMT 4
I’ve been fishing for Salmon on the River Figgjo since the beginning of the 1970’s. I have fished on Bjelland’s beats ever since SRJF obtained the fishing rights in the 70’s, mostly on the #3 beat (now #4) but also on #’s 1 and 2.
I have observed a decline in the number of returning salmon in the last 35 years mainly through dwindling catches but also through sightings. There are fewer fish to be seen in the river during the fishing season now than there were in the 1970’s and 80’s. Shoals of fish could be seen running the river 30 years ago, sorrowfully; this is not the case today as only a few fish seem to be running under the right conditions. A number of reasons have been put forward for these dwindling returns of adult fish.
One of the first reasons put forward was that commercial driftnet fishing depleted entire stocks of fish. When this enterprise was stopped expectations of increasing numbers of returning fish were not realised. Agricultural and industrial pollutants entering the river have also been discussed as a source of less fish.
High mortality rates in wild salmon due to parasitical infestation have also become a major problem in Norway (grass pollution in the Figgjo is also a source of concern).
Shutting down SRJF’s hatchery at Langvann and the commercial hatchery at Skjæveland might help to combat any local infestations. An increase in water flow would also be of help here as water temperature plays a major factor in reproduction and transmission of parasites. Furunculosis can be a source of significant mortality in wild populations if river water temperatures become unusually high for extended periods. Sea lice infestation levels are known to be 10 times higher in concentrated fish farming areas and can only be combated by shutting down fish farms or using antiparasitic drugs. I’m not certain if parasitical infection has any consequence on dwindling salmon runs in the River Figgjo.
What I am certain off is that I observe less fish in the river during the open season than I did 30 years ago. I cannot remember the last time I caught a 6 or 7 kilo male salmon towards the end of the season when normally that was all I caught. The large hen fish usually ran in May/early June with the grilse running June and July and the big thingy fish running late August and September.
I can only conclude that the runs of autumn salmon are occurring later. I have no personal data to substantiate this statement but as there are large numbers of fish observed when hatchery fishing is undertaken with fresh run fish covered in sea lice caught in early November I have reason to believe that salmon in the Figgjo are running later.
It is unfortunate that research conducted by Ims forskning stasjon is of smelt migrating to the sea and of salmon fry, which really is of no interest to a salmon angler, and their migrating from sea to river fish statistics are made up from catch returns by salmon anglers during the open season and thereafter they calculate the number of adult fish returning to the river system in both the open and close season. If larger amounts of fish are returning during the close season than these scientists are calculating, this should give cause for concern, as, the length of the fishing season open to anglers and bag limits are determined by these estimations. If these autumn runs of fish are occurring in October and November it would justify a longer open fishing season and anglers would be on hand to police the river banks whilst fishing, whereas, at the moment, I can imagine that the river is being policed only by poachers in the 8½ month closed season.
There may be numerous reasons for the autumn salmon runs occurring later in the Figgjo, global warming, and lifestyle change of salmon feeding resources or perhaps this is something which happens naturally.
One way of gathering data concerning this could be of appointed bailiffs from SRJF catching and determining the state of salmon returning to the river in the months of October through December, whether they are fresh run fish covered in sea lice, red or silver fish and whether they are quite ready for spawning or not.
I think it is in our best interests if we could undertake such research over a few years to determine whether the natural reproduction of salmon in the river Figgjo is as healthy as I think it is rather than just speculating whether it is or not.
Yours sincerely,
cheyenne
P.S.
As you can see, I drafted this letter in early 2005, and was told then, as I had not recorded whether a salmon caught by me was male or female my observations on returning salmon were not conclusive enough.
In the 2005 fishing season I caught 9 salmon 4 of which were between 3 and 4.5 kilos, the remaining five were all less than 3 kilos. Eight of the fish caught were all female with just one male fish caught and landed on the 20th of September. Four fish were caught between the 26th. of August and the 20th. of September and five fish were caught and landed between the 22nd of September and the 28th of September. All but three of the caught fish were coloured. These three fish were taken on the 28th of September, all silver fish between 2.5 and 4.5 kilos, the 4.5 kilo fish was covered in sea lice.
As I fish only with fly I only fish when the river is in spate and don’t compete with the wormers and heron when the river is to low for fly fishing. My returns are quite low compared with anglers who practice bait fishing and fished only on 14 days.
Season 2006 I fished only 5 days and didn’t catch any fish at all.
Due to the abnormal weather conditions in 2007 rivers were quite high and for longer periods at a time. On the river where I fish ( Figgjo sone 4 Sele ) the spates were longer and much higher than normal. Spates were from 1 to 2.5 meters higher than a normal spate making it difficult, but lovely, to fish. Salmon were going right through the pools and from the end of August through September I observed on the beat where I fish that salmon were passing through about 6 hours after high tide (normally they take about 2 to 3 hours to pass through ) and this was the only time I had a chance of catching any fish. It was the same for everyone of course and if you were fishing outside of this period when these wee steams were going through you neither saw nor caught any fish. This resulted in poorer catch returns for the lower reaches of the river but higher than normal for the upper reaches. I expect this was the case for many of the rivers on the west coast of Norway.
Season 2007 I caught a total of 15 salmon 4 of which I released. Between the 24th of July and the 10th of September I caught 10 fish, all female except for one male. Between the 18th of September and the 30th of September I caught 5 salmon three of which were male fish. Male salmon started their main runs around the 18th of September (observations and catches made by myself and other anglers on the same beat). Around the 22nd of September runs of grilse picked up and shoals of grilse were observed by me on each day that I fished, much better than the runs I observed through July and at the beginning of August.
I still conclude that salmon are arriving and running later well into the close season.
The Norwegian authorities may be panicking but I see no need to, not yet anyway.
The Salmon Board’s suggestions for regulating of the open and closed seasons from 2008 for the Figgjo river will only result in more poaching, and less enjoyment for the angler, as the salmon are running later, and, until proper salmon counting devices are used and monitored on the Figgjo river The Salmon Board’s and the Ims forskning stasjon’s findings remain entirely speculative.
The fact is that it would be much better to extend the open salmon fishing season from the 15th of May until the 15th of October on the Figgjo for a few seasons until proper monitoring devices can be brought into use.
Yours sincerely
cheyenne
02.01.2008