Galloway Fisheries Trust

Rod Catch Statistics

Since 1952 the rod catch figures for each river show fluctuations, and certainly in the case of sea trout, declines in the overall catches. However as the official catch figures only go back as far as 1952 we are unable to determine figures before this and can only rely on DSFB historical records (if they are available) or anecdotal evidence.

The River Tweed famously has rod and net fishery catch records going back as far as 1855 and 1842 respectively and large fluctuations in the catches can clearly be seen over the whole time series as can changes in the run timing and sizes / sea-ages of the fish.

Below are several graphs showing catch statistics from some Galloway rivers. Data shows rod caught fish only (salmon and grilse, sea trout and herling), with rod caught released fish included in the figures since 1994 when these started being recorded.

Water of Luce

The Luce data shows varying catches, with higher numbers of salmon, and particularly sea trout, in the mid 1960s. A further peak in salmon and sea trout catches can be seen in the late 1980s.

Since around 2002 catches have fluctuated but on a far lower scale with numbers of salmon caught not dissimilar to those seen in the early 1950s or late 1970s.

Water of Luce rod caught salmon and sea trout
(retained and released) 1952-2010

River Urr

Catches from the Urr show us that, overall, the catches of salmon have remained fairly steady since 1952, with only small fluctuations, but the general trend is positive. Looking in more detail, it can be seen that higher catches of salmon have been seen since 2000 which is very encouraging.

Catches of sea trout, on the other hand, can be seen to decline since the heyday of the mid 1960s. Numbers since the late 1970s have remained fairly low and this trend is reflected on many rivers in Galloway and across Scotland.

River Urr rod caught salmon and sea trout
(retained and released) 1952-2010

River Cree

Catches of salmon and sea trout on the Cree have almost mirrored each other until recent years. Catches rose in the mid 1950s and mid 1960s and fell very low in the 1970s. Catches rose again in the 1980s and 1990s with declines observed in the 2000s. Sea trout, as seen on other rivers, continued in decline (similar low numbers were caught in the mid 1970s), whilst catches of salmon rose and numbers now look around the same as were seen in the early 1960s. Pre-1952 it is unclear what the rod catches were as so much of the catch on the Cree was related to intense netting effort in the estuary (net caught fish are not included on the graph).

River Cree rod caught salmon and sea trout
(retained and released) 1952-2010

River Bladnoch

As can be seen from the graph below, the Bladnoch is primarily a salmon river; catches of sea trout are very low or zero most years. Indeed GFT run a smolt monitoring project and very few sea trout smolts are ever seen. Since 1952 the general trend in the catches of salmon is positive. Looking in more detail catches were lower in the early 1950s, rising towards the mid 1960s and falling very low in the 1970s. The 1980s saw a rise in salmon catches, peaking in 1988 and since then have reduced but remain relatively steady around the 150 mark.

River Bladnoch rod caught salmon and sea trout
(retained and released) 1952-2010

Water of Fleet

In contrast to the Bladnoch, the Fleet is primarily a sea trout river; historically only low numbers of salmon were caught and no one fished for them as the sea trout fishing was so popular. GFT electrofishing results across the mid and lower catchment have shown that in recent years numbers of salmon have shown a marked increase and this has been reflected in greater catches of salmon. This trend is unfortunately not wholly replicated in the catch statistics. Sea trout were caught in good numbers in the mid 1950s through to the mid 1960s. After this time a marked and almost instant decline in catches can be seen, and low catches have been experienced since then, with only two years where catches have risen above 200. Although the Fleet has experienced a lower fishing pressure in recent years, this cannot account for the rapid decline in catches of sea trout (believed to be due largely to acidification of much of the upper river). Indeed the data shows very well the crash in sea trout populations also seen, but perhaps not to the same extent, on other rivers.

Water of Fleet rod caught salmon and sea trout
(retained and released) 1952-2010

Galloway Fisheries Trust

Fisheries House, Station Industrial Estate, Newton Stewart, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. DG8 6ND
Telephone: 01671 403011 Fax: 01671 402248 E-mail: mail@gallowayfisheriestrust.org
Scottish Registered Charity No. SC020751