Life of a Chalkstream: Are salmon worth saving?

Greetings!

Recently I was having a chat with the chairman of a small salmon charity who have a pot of money that has been gifted to them over the years for the betterment of the species. How best to spend it in a way that might, however small, go some way to halting the precipitous decline of Salmo salar was the theme of our almost despairing conversation.

I say despairing because the fate of the Atlantic salmon is a conversation that seems to have been ongoing through all our lifetimes as the end of one decade simply heralds the coming of a yet worse decade. I recall those innocent heady days in the 1970’s when we thought that farmed salmon, by dint of relieving the pressure on the wild population, would be the saviour. How very, very wrong we were. Then the push to remove nets was the next great hope but still the descent continued. Today, the theories for the decline of are manifold: pollution. Degraded spawning grounds. Deep sea fishing, Climate change. Ocean current changes. Seals. Piscivorous birds. And there are plenty more unmentioned here.

1 of 133

And then, just to prove my despair was not imaginary, the Environment Agency announced this week that the salmon run (note the word run not catch) for the River Itchen in 2022 was just a mere 133 fish which leads the EA to state in bleak terms ‘Salmon on the Itchen are in crisis and at risk of extinction.’ They say this not based solely on 2022 but because in no year since 2015 has the returning number of adult salmon reached what is termed the Conservation Limit. That is to say, ‘the minimum number of eggs required to maintain the population at a biologically safe level and below which the probability of further decline becomes increasingly likely.’ To put that in context, the run in 2015 was 900.

It seems this data for the Itchen which is faring by far the worst of any chalkstreams, has spurred the EA into action sensibly focussing on short to medium terms objectives that major on the river itself rather than the wider ocean issues that we know assail the salmon population. In broad terms, the objectives are to improve spawning habitat, aid fish passage, encourage best practice by rod anglers and improve water quality in terms of pollution and abstraction with all these actions starting immediately and continuing through 2024/25.

These are, as an editor of a supporting publication mentioned to me, at best, modest aspirations but to be fair to the EA, not my favourite friends as well you know, they have to start somewhere and I’ll hope this is more than just a cynical being seen to do something effort. However, in the course of researching this piece I came across the Salmon Action Consultation Plan for the River Itchen from 1998 by, you’ve guessed it, the Environment Agency. And guess again what the primary recommendations were? Improve spawning habitat, aid fish passage, encourage best practice by rod anglers and improve water quality in terms of pollution and abstraction.

25 years on and we are still thinking and saying the same things which does make you ask, are Atlantic salmon worth saving? Have we gone past the point of no return? I suppose, in itself, the extinction of British Atlantic salmon will not send our planet spinning off its axis. Species are disappearing almost daily but somehow, to me, it feels wrong to give up without a fight. After all, it is not so long ago, within the memory of many living today, that this amazing migratory fish was abundant. It is clear that in trashing our planet by both design, and accident, the salmon has become an innocent victim of our environmental profligacy. So, yes, the Atlantic salmon is worth saving if only to prove that we are not complete ignorant vandals to that munificent being we call Mother Nature.

FREE place for under 16's on Chalkstream Weekend

Our weekend chalkstream course at Bullington Manor on the upper Test has become increasingly popular since its inception three years ago so I thought it might be a fun idea to open it up to the under 16’s.

Ranging over all four beats over the Saturday and Sunday, in the care if experienced instructors Angus Campbell and Bob Preston it is a chance to take your fly fishing skills to a new level. Each day Agnus and Bob will focus on different aspects of chalkstream fly fishing but leaving plenty of time for fishing.

The course is open to any 8-16 year old with some fly fishing experience who comes free when accompanied by a paying adult. Each day runs 9.30am-5.30pm with tackle and flies provided. On the Saturday evening, once the formal part of the day is over, you will be welcome to stay until dusk to fish and BBQ. More details here ...... for the Chalkstream Weekend that takes place 8/9 July.

If you are tempted by the thought of the Chalkstream Courses I have three places left on the One Day Chalkstream Course on 17/June and we have just opened up a new Chalkstream Weekend Course on 2/3 September. Neither of these are suitable for the under 16’s.

Airflo lines up for expansion

Good news stories in the UK fly fishing business are not the norm – I think we have all become far too accustomed to British brands disappearing or reports of production switched to the Far East, the returning products often woefully poor substitutes.

However, fly line maker Airflo, who are based in Brecon have just secured a grant of £566,000 from the Welsh government to invest in new machine tools and R&D with the aim of quadrupling sales in America (Airflo’s parent company is the US based Mayfly Group) and expanding into Japan, South Africa and New Zealand.

I am actually a great fan of Airflo lines which we use on all our outfits, but I am ashamed to say I did not know that the company make a point of not using PVC in line production because PVC requires plasticizers to make a line functional and plasticizers, aside from causing the cracking, contain Dioxins that contaminate water and make PVC lines almost impossible to safely recycle. Instead, they use Polyurethane, which is an inert, stable, fully recyclable material that lasts longer than PVC without the use of plasticizers.

Airflo hope that with the grant, and a further investment of £2m by the company, that 21 new full-time roles will be created. www.airflofishing.com

What, no rain?

As I write this, we are into day 28 of no rain in these parts; it is a remarkable turnaround from the start of May when we had nearly all out May allocation in the first week of the month. Much though I love spring rain, which is money in the bank for the summer and early autumn, even I have cast my eyes to the heavens in silent thanks for a dry few weeks which have barely dented the happy news of the aquifers pumping away at full pelt.

However, there is no getting around the fact that some people had a really tough time in early mid-May when, instead of clear water and dancing Mayfly, you were greeted by chalkstreams that were anything but. Essentially, with the valleys sodden, the May rains spilled straight from fields and road into the rivers taking all the associated dirt, debris and silt with it.

On a happier note, I am truly delighted to bring you another edition in the exemplary fly tying of Nigel Nunn who has created a June selection to tempt the May draw winner back out on the river again!

Well done to Robert Smith, first out the hat from the great many reports in May, who fished Avon Springs for two days, one of which included a lovely 4lb rainbow. The flies are in the post.

Quiz

The normal random collection of questions inspired by the date, events or topics in the Newsletter. It is just for fun with answers at the bottom of the page.

1) What did we celebrate on this day in 1977?

2) Which Roman goddess in the month of June named after?

3) How many days without rain define a drought in the UK?