Fleet District Salmon Fishery Board


Salmon fishing rights in Scotland are private heritable titles that are registered separately from land. As such these titles can be bought and sold like any other property.

In Scotland, the cost of the local administration, protection and improvement of the fisheries is privately financed by the proprietors. The district boards finance their work by levying a rate on the salmon fishery owners in the district. Elected representatives of those owners provide the core of the membership of the Board. However, since 1986, the boards are required also to include representatives of salmon anglers and salmon netsmen in the district. A further revision to the constitution of the boards was made in 1999 to allow for even wider representation on the boards by other parties who may have an interest or stake in salmon stocks or fisheries.

Powers

  • to act, undertake works and incur expenses for the protection and improvement of the fisheries within their districts, for the increase of salmon and sea trout and the stocking of the district with these fish.
  • to impose financial assessments on each salmon fishery in the district, and to charge interest on arrears.
  • to borrow funds, and to incur a wide range of expenditure in furtherance of their powers and duties.
  • to appoint bailiffs to enforce the salmon fisheries legislation.
  • exempt persons from certain provisions of the law for scientific or other purposes.
  • to sue in the name of the clerk.

Duties

  • to appoint a clerk.
  • to maintain a list of proprietors within the DSFBs district.
  • to produce an annual report and audited accounts and to consider these at an AGM.
  • to call a triennial electoral meeting.

Clerk (contact details)

Richard Durling
Girthon Old Manse
Gatehouse of Fleet
Castle Douglas
DG7 2DD

Telephone: 07790495698

DSFB Membership

Chairman: Richard Gilbey
Treasurer: see clerk details above
Upper Proprietors: Richard Gilbey (Rusko Estate), Elspeth Sutton (Cally Estate), Kay Paton (Murray-Usher Foundation), Mark Hannay (Cardoness Estate)
Invitees - Galloway Fisheries Trust

The Water of Fleet Salmon Fishery Management Plan (2023 - 2028) is available to view here


Date and location of next meeting: Fleet DSFB AGM - 5:30pm 29th August 2023 at Gatehouse of Fleet Community Centre

DSFB Conservation Policy

Salmon season: 1st May – 31st October (no salmon fishing on a Sunday)

  • The Water of Fleet has been designated as a Category 3 river under the Salmon Conservation Regulations. This means the killing of salmon is considered unsustainable. Compulsory catch and release of all rod caught salmon is required and contravention of the regulations will be a criminal offence. This categorisation is reviewed annually.
  • To encourage catch and release of sea trout.

Downloads


Fleet DSFB Accounts
Fleet DSFB Accounts

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Fleet DSFB AGM 28th July 2016 Minutes
Fleet DSFB AGM 28th July 2016 Minutes

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Water of Fleet electrofishing report 2016-2018
GFT undertake electrofishing surveys on Galloway’s river catchments each year. This is a report on the health of salmon and trout populations in the Fleet catchment between 2016 and 2018.

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Fleet DSFB AGM 31st May 2019
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Fleet DSFB Accounts 2017/18/19 summary
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Fleet DSFB Chairman's Report
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Interesting paper on Impacts of acidification on Brown trout.
Impacts of acidification on brown trout Salmo trutta populations and the contribution of stocking to population recovery and genetic diversity.

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The Rise and Fall of Galloway and Carrick Trout
Andy Ferguson, Caroline Bradley, Robin Ade, Colin Roberts, Jackie Graham, and Paulo Prodöhl look at the impact of acidification on trout and discuss some results from their current study.

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River Fleet DSFB Account finances 2019-2020
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River Fleet AGM Agenda 2020
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River Fleet DSFB AGM minutes 2019
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2019-2021 Finances
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AGM Agenda 2021
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Fleet DSFB minutes 2019
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Fleet DSFB final report 2020
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GFT PA Water quality monitoring report Fleet 2021 2022
Water quality monitoring report, including fish densities, for the upper Water of Fleet from winter 2021 - spring 2022

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Gallery


Latest News


Annan Riparian Restoration Network

GFT has been successful in securing funding from the FIRNS scheme to develop a large-scale habitat restoration project for the River Annan catchment.

Improving fish passage and river flow below Tongland Dam

SEPA have been undertaking a review of the current CAR license which the Galloway Hydro Scheme operates under.

Kirkcowan Fishing Competition

On Saturday 26th August we held our annual Kirkcowan Fishing Competition. 35 adults and 12 juniors entered the competition this year, providing a fund of £211 that is put back into the event via prizes and a buffet.

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