Whilst on the subject of hatcheries I came across these pictures yesterday.  I shows the 'hatchery' run by WUF at the behest of the Wye salmon Fishery Owners.   How they managed to persuade WUF to do this I have no idea as the CEO at the time was so vehemently against hatcheries and still is..

The politics behind it, never mind the finances remain a mystery but it was set up on a site at Painscastle where the owner Tom Reynolds had a small coarse fishery consisting of several ponds on the banks of the Bach Howey.     It ran for a few years with claimed success but came to an abrupt  end due to arguements as I understand it over unpaid rent and the site was simply abandoned together with all the equipoment as shown below.   The owner contacted me about it and together with Stuart Smith we went to the hatchery and took the photographs you see below.  We prepared a report of what we saw and were told by the owner and sent it to the Chairman of the Wye Owners Association . We had the usual noncommittal reply and the report  was never seen again. Just how much the member of WSOA knew about what happened their cash  or their hatchery I have no idea whatsoever

   The hatchery itself was built on a site where the adjacent stream and ponds contained American signal crayfish which meant problems when stocking out fry.

Shouldn't probably say much more as if I get something wrong I could be subject to litigation of which I will say no more.

By the way this is the site too where the first Wye beaverty.  Have a photo somewhere.

r was trapped. Where it came from someone has an idea but no one is telling that's for sure.  Last thing we want on the river.  Tom had the animal set up  and is in a nice case in his prope