Conditions remain good over the weekend with no rain expected until late Sunday.  Should in theory be a big weekend for anglers with conditions as they are though on many beats canoes will pose a big problem during the day.
Fish remain scarce and what there are still seem to be pushing through the lower beats though in all honesty they are not appearing in middle or upper beats to any great extent.  Having said that if you do get one it's likely to be a quality fish.

LATEST
A somewhat better day today with a fish of 17 1/2lbs from Ballingham to Caledon Richardson -flying/C

Three today from Ingeston.  Two to regular rod Glyn Slade at 14 and 12lbs and a first salmon to young Oliver Ruthuen of 14lbs.   Oliver is the third generation of his family to catch fish at Ingeston with gillie Lyn Cobley.  Two of the three fish were sea liced so seemingly still running through the lower beats.  Surely as levels continue to fall they will soon come into their own.
12lb fish from Courtfield yesterday to Jon Taylor


The latest WUF Newsletter, see below, is the latest and perhaps best example of spin and misinformation they have yet issued.  For a start it appears they have been, using the royal 'WE', instrumental in stopping the Severn Barrage. Really !!.
On top of that, having stocked the Wye for many years they now do an about turn on the stocking issue hiding behind a spurious habitat directive where one is supposed to prove 'conclusively' that stocking poses no risk. The previous Wye Owners Association Chairman has two smolts ponds on his own land and yet WUF, who they pump money to each year,  now turns around and refuses to support them.. Extraordinary is it not. Why not prove first that stocking does do harm and then stop it. Stocking has been going on for a hundred years, one would have thought there might be some proof one way or another by now. As we still have stocks of salmon in the UK clearly it's unlikely to have done any har, probably the opposite in fact.

They then take a swipe at WSA-  wonder what they fear from that area -perhaps the wide support, financial and otherwise , being garnered by them. WSA and RWGA have never said that stocking and nothing else is the only way to recover the WYE.  Another direct lie.  We have always said that due to low stocks making best use of the fish available and stocking parr/smolts into 'Claimed Habitat Restoration' was a good way forward until stocks recovered.  SNR was a stage further still.
They then tell us that the Wye has improved above the EA's 'AT RISK' status.  This is either a blatant lie or a printing error as other information below shows it has clearly not.  This on top of the recent poor Usk survey.
They even copy the WSA with a couple of free rod days. Oh dear.


See this information from the EA today.  Note too that the Taff has been recovered principally by stocking and the Cleddau receives stock too and the rivers would have benefitted from Estuary Putcher and Irish Drift net removal.

The key features set out in the stats table are these:-

·         In 2013 the Wye continued to fail to achieve its annual conservation limit

·         The trend in the stock is improving, but that is statistically ‘uncertain’

·         The probability of an upward trend is 63% (so it is more likely than not that the stock is improving)

·         We forecast that the stock will ‘advance’ to the “probably at risk” category by 2018

·         The Wye is 1 of only 3 rivers in Wales that is currently forecast to show an improvement (the others are the Taff and the Cleddau)

·         The shortfall of eggs (as a 20%ile) is 23.1 million, compared to a 2013 deposition estimate of 15.49 million

Also note the outcome of regulation of  the Severn Estuary net and trap fisheries.

I conclude that there are more grounds for optimism than pessimism, but that the position remains worrying.  There is more work to do.

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So who is right.  You can make your own mind up but the WUF statement is typical and the very reason why over the years the have engendered so much hostility towards their operation in the way it spews out information which on reflection turns out not to be substantiated. See more;

River Wye salmon stock assessment, incorporating 2013 data

April 2014

Note – for the first time, as as agreed at Wye LFG, the target incorporates potential spawning and recruitment areas of the River Monnow sub-catchment.

							River	Wye
CURRENT compliance status								At risk
PREDICTED (+5yr) compliance status								Prob at risk
Trend (based on difference between current and +5yr 20%ile)								Improving
Probbabiltiy of upward trend								0.6328
Trend status								Uncertain
CL - as Log[egg deposition, millions]								1.586
CL - as egg deposition, millions								38.57	million eggs
CURRENT 20%ile - as Log[egg deposition, millions]								1.190
CURRENT 20%ile - as egg deposition, millions								15.49	million eggs
CURRENT 20%ile shortfall/surplus [millions of eggs] - absolute								-23.1	million eggs
PREDICTED (+5yr) 20%ile - as Log[egg deposition, millions]								1.228
PREDICTED (+5yr) 20%ile - as egg deposition, millions								16.90	million eggs
PREDICTED (+5yr)  20%ile shortfall/surplus [millions of eggs] - absolute								-21.7	million eggs

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Wye & Usk Foundation News Update WUF Update Debate rumbles on regarding NRW's plans for hatcheries and stocking. Understanding what is actually proposed is crucial. Both our rivers are Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and as salmon is one of the listed species, a number of highly protective  'must/must not dos' are triggered by the Habitats Directive. This is how, for example, we have been able to negotiate a more favourable abstraction regimen, ensure Severn Barrages don't happen and secure funding for restoration. In respect of stocking, there is a risk that the highly complex genetics of our salmon - those unique adaptations made over millenia are not further compromised by non matched hatchery pairings and other artificially induced problems. The way the Directive is structured requires that it has to be proved conclusively that absolutely no risk exists from stocking before it can take place and this is the position NRW, NE and EA have taken and is now is being advocated in Scotland.   Whether or not NRW decides to keep its hatcheries, is therefore quite separate from whether permission to stock SAC rivers is granted. We entirely support their position on this. Pro stocking WSA have recently issued the following: "The river Wye, traditionally the premier Salmon River in England & Wales has seen stocks decline since 1996 by 95% and today remain at 25% of former levels. Based on current conservation levels salmon populations are declared the highest 'At Risk' status by NRW, still they propose to cease stocking. Stocking from NRW hatchery at Abercynrig has recently proven significant in recovering stocks in the river Taff. It seems too that it is a 'given' that if stocks of fish decline a hatchery is perceived as de facto  the only solution (whatever the cause) and ....  A beauty for John Grindle.......see Clochfaen report 8th April therefore should be continued. Curious logic given that a hatchery was instigated at the peak (1974) of Wye runs as the 'restoration' tool of choice, displacing urgent and appropriate action over the next 35 years of decline on the Wye. The sharp eyed among you will have spotted that the date  - 1996 - is the date WUF started and that a drop of 96% would have reduced our rod catch to a mere 92! What actually happened was that catches dropped until 2002 (357) before recovering. The Wye has now even moved above the 'At Risk' status. What we hope that it was a slip of the WSA pen and it is not felt necessary to rubbish the progress so far to secure support for a hatchery After a promising start in March (65) Wye salmon fishing has been slow following a couple of dirty and one large spate. Fish appear to be spread out with reports from as far upstream as Newbridge down to Wyesham. Largest 25lbs from Caradoc and largest to fly 23lbs from Goodrich Trouting has been variable, wind and bright sun being a problem on some days. Grannom and LDOs now all but over and weren't great except for lower Wye. So back to the nymph until the gnats and olive uprights appear. Where? everywhere seems to be producing fish, including the Wild Streams. Some free days on the Lower Wye: One rod on Sunday 20th April at Wyesham and at Cadora Backs on 20th,  21st and 22nd  April, bookable on line All the best from WUF Our flagship project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website. Click here for anglers' reports. For details of WUF's Consultations, Click here. Environment Agency & Natural Resources Wales Emergency Hotline: 0800 80 70 60 Rainfall at Erwood 2014 to date:23" (2013 total: 39", 2012: 47", 2011: 29") Bookings and availability Tel: 01874 711 714 This email was sent by The Wye & Usk Foundation. Click here to unsubscribe or manage your subscription.

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