Salmon

The movement of Salmon over Forge weir in 2010 did not start as well as it did in 2009 primarily due to the drought conditions experienced in spring and early summer. However, the figures improved in July and August with the end of year estimations of the counter figures bearing similar resemblance to 2009. An estimated 8315 Salmon and 9665 Sea trout passed over the fish counter. Based on current provisional figures the Lune will pass it’s conservation limit and should achieve it’s management target for the 11th consecutive year.

It is expected that the first spring Salmon would enter the river in April and May, with May being the predominant month. But in 2010, the dry weather and subsequent low flows were not conducive to attracting fish over the counter strips and in total, only 68 salmon were counted. The first and only Salmon to be trapped in April and May was caught on the 28th April, the trap was only set twice in May due to the low water.

Despite the total salmon count for 2010 being comparable with 2009 figures the five year average salmon count for the months of July, August and September in 2010 were all exceeded. The five year average salmon count for July, August and September between 2005-2009 was 534 , 1076 and 2088 respectively, compared to 842, 1394 and 2426 respectively for 2010. October usually sees the highest counts throughout the year, yet it was evident from the counter figures and personal observations that numbers began to decline from the middle of October. Counts for November and December were also well below the five year average.

The expected increase in the number of salmon during October and November did not materialise and both months fell below their five and ten year averages. Any late running fish in December will have found it hard to pass over the weir and fish pass due to the build up of ice and low water conditions. A graph of the total Salmon counts can be seen in figure 1.

Sea Trout

A much improved number of Sea trout passed through the fish counter in 2010. An estimated 9665 made it through the fish pass and weir, with the vast majority of fish appearing in June and July (88%). The usual dramatic curtailment in Sea trout numbers in August occurred again in 2010.

The total count for 2010 was above both the 5 and 10 year averages (8669 and 9556 respectively).

The steady decline in sea trout has levelled off in the last 4 years. and there are signs of improvement over the last five years (as seen in fig 2.).

Looking ahead

It is hoped that the we do not suffer the same drought conditions that were experienced in spring and early summer last year. There is the possibility of a continued high 1SW Salmon count this year from the progeny of the fish return in 2007 (second highest in recent records). However, this will depend on the escapement of smolts from 2010, which are likely to have suffered during the drought conditions. Large numbers of smolts were witnessed congregating above Forge weir in May, and video footage recorded smolts dropping despite the extremely low water conditions. However, there were also reports of large numbers of Goosanders seen and on one particular day 22 were counted just downstream of Forge weir.

The spring salmon tagging programme will continue this year to help in their protection and subsequent spawning. We would like to remind anglers that the return of tagged spring salmon upon capture after the 16th June is voluntary and is NOT a byelaw, but is purely for their protection. Please report any tagged salmon to A.Croft (E.A). We can also acquire knowledge of the areas of the Lune catchment that they are heading to spawn and target habitat improvement and protection schemes accordingly.