Summary
The Management of Freshwater Fisheries provides guidance on the management of National Trust fisheries for their ecological and recreational value.
Fishing is welcomed by the Trust, subject to its prime objectives, including nature conservation.
Features of nature conservation importance in freshwater which the Trust will wish to promote include natural fluctuations in water levels and flows; unpolluted water; native plants and animals, and fish populations appropriate to the type of water body.
Many factors can cause damage to these features, including inappropriate fishery management. National Trust freshwaters should be evaluated, objectives set for each site, and a Fishery Management Plan prepared.
Several principles should guide this process:
- Fishing for both game and coarse species is welcomed by the Trust, where it already takes place, subject to the Trust's prime objectives.
- The Trust wishes to promote fish communities appropriate to the type of water body in question, with recruitment sufficient to maintain the fishery without artificial stocking.
- To achieve self-sustaining fisheries, not only will direct management of the fishery need to be appropriate, but so will land-use management within the catchment, and the protection of water quality.
Guidelines for land-use and watercourse management include:
- Water quality should be investigated, and damaging inputs controlled.
- Sediment input should be controlled, preferably at source. Sediments can be managed in some rivers, but disturbance to the beds in both lakes and rivers should be avoided.
- Aquatic plants ("weeds") are important and should be nurtured. There are acceptable methods of controlling these in some rivers, but in still waters they should generally be left.
- Bankside trees have many values, but large areas of dense shade can be a disadvantage. Rotational cutting can serve all interests. Woody debris is a valuable component of freshwaters and should be retained wherever possible.
Guidelines for management of recreational fishing include:
- Anglers' expectations should be matched to the ecology of the water body. The Trust should resist requests for large catches or catches of an unnaturally wide range of species.
- Exploitation of fish in salmonid waters should be controlled.
- The number of anglers should be limited according to the capacity of the site.
- Close seasons should be maintained.
- Excessive use of baits should not be allowed, and livebait prohibited.
- Removal of coarse fish, grayling and pike should be discouraged.
- Letting arrangements should promote the Trust purposes, the rules of the fishery or the management plan. Letting arrangements should contain provision for day tickets, to ensure wherever possible wider public access to Trust fisheries.
- Sites where it may be inappropriate to allow fishing could include sites with rare fish; sites with fish numbers at very low levels, in which recovery is desired, or sites in a degraded condition undergoing restoration.
Many freshwater habitat restoration projects are under way, varying in scale from whole catchments to in-channel works in rivers. Many include enhancements to the fishery. These should continue. More expenditure on freshwater is required, as for heathlands and downlands. Recreational fishing should not be expected to be the sole funder of management work on water bodies.
Please note: the full paper is available only as a downloadable PDF (145k)
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