Annual Christmas Raffle Draw 2010 Winners
The Annual Christmas Raffle Draw was made by Mr John Scott MSP last Friday, and the winners are as follows :-
Donor Prize Winners
Scot West Business Forms £100 Mr Bruce Lindsay
Spirit Aerosystems Fuji Film Digital Camera Mr Alex Ross
Spirit Aerosystems Bottle of Champagne Mr Wiiilam Galbraith
Spirit Aerosystems Bottle of Dalwhinnie Whisky Mrs Mhairi Gibson
Ayrshire Rivers Trust Christmas Hamper Mr Stephen Higgins
Kilmarnock Angling Club £40 Gift Voucher Mr T C Coltman
Kilmarnock Angling Club £30 Gift Voucher Mr Neil Howie
Kilmarnock Angling Club £20 Gift Voucher Mr G Doherty
Kilmarnock Angling Club £10 Gift Voucher Mr Douglas Stewart
Torbets Outdoor, Kilmarnock £20 Gift Voucher Mr Colin McNally
Tesco, Ayr Bottle of Bombay Gin Mr Jim Stevens
William Grant & Sons Ltd Bottle Reyka Vodka Mr John Dalrymple Hamilton
William Grant & Sons Ltd Bottle of Monkey Shoulder Whisky Mr Marshall Dougall
William Grant & Sons Ltd Bottle of Balvenie Whisky Mr Kenneth McGregor
William Grant & Sons Ltd Bottle of Hendricks Gin Mrs K Gray
William Grant & Sons Ltd Bottle of Glenfiddich Mrs Helen Lindsay
Mr Robin Wilson Bottle of Famous Grouse Mr Alex Ross
Carrick Angling Club £20 Fishing Voucher Mr R B Redhead
Carrick Angling Club £20 Fishing Voucher Mr M Bryden
Doon Engineering, Ayr Voucher for a Car Service Mr Allan Knox
ASDA, Ayr Bottle of White Wine Miss Brodie McCutcheon
Ayrshire Rivers Trust Fleece Jacket Mr Jock Wood
Ayrshire Rivers Trust Polo Shirt Mrs Seonaid Lewis
Ayrshire Rivers Trust Print of the River Stinchar Mr Jim Harkin
Energy Agency Power Down Energy Saver Mrs Una Maxwell
Energy Agency Power Down Energy Saver Mr Alex Ross
Mr David Slider “Matching The Hatch” Book Mr F Irvine
Mr David Slider Crivit Fishing Reel Ms Sandra Adams
Gamesport, Ayr Wading Stick Mrs Marguerite Hunter Blair
Mr Carlos Van Heddegem Bottle of White Wine Mr Brian Lindsay
Ayrshire Rivers Trust Bottle of Malt Whisky Mr F M French (Supporters Prize)
We would like to thank John Scott for once again giving up his valuable time to make the draw, and to the Chestnuts Hotel in Ayr for being perfect hosts. The Trust would also like to give a heartfelt thanks to all who donated prizes to the draw, trust members for selling tickets, and all who bought them – your generosity, time and support are vital to the Trust and we thank you most sincerely!
As you may be aware Scottish Power have submitted their application for a variation in the Galloway Hydros Scheme licence. The review of the licence undertaken by SEPA identified that the scheme was having a significant deterimental impact on the Kirkcudbrightshire River Dee. The review required Scotish Power to provide compensation flow, or increased compensation flow, at three locations in the River Dee. The provision of increased compensation flow in parts of the Dee means that Scottish Power will have less water available for hydro generation. Scottish Power have “identified to SEPA that there would be no loss in renewable energy generation as a result of implementing the specified changes“. Scottish Power have dismissed increased wind power as an option to replace the lost generation capacity as well as 17 other options listed in the application document. The option selected as the source of replacement generation capacity is to take more water from the River Doon by reducing the compensation flow from 45million gallons/day to 36.5mgd.
ART has become increasingly aware that there is an urgent need for a more balanced view on the proposal that that provided in the application document and ecology report. In order to address that ART have produced an interim consultation response which summarised the main issues without being too technical. The information provided is factual and referenced enabling the reader to find out more if required.
ART will be submitting a detailed consultation response in due course but we hope that this information included in the interim report will assist those tasked with or interested in providing a response on behalf of an organisation or individually. The ART interim report is available here.
The application document and ecology report can be viewed on SEPA’s website at http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/hydropower/regulation.aspx . The deadline for consultation responses is the 17th Dec 2010. Responses should be sent to registryeastkilbride@sepa.org.uk
Fisherman’s Supper 2010
The Annual Ayrshire Rivers Fisherman’s Supper was recently held at the Ivy Rooms Hotel in Ayr. The speakers were Bill Nolan, a well known raconteur with a background in Scottish Rugby and Beer promotion (two closely related subjects some would say), and Tommy Wilson, who made a welcome return to the Supper after a four year gap. The audience were treated to a delicious meal, then royally entertained to a side-splitting performance by both speakers, ending in an auction and raffle draw, with the winning bidders and raffle winners listed below:-
Auction
Donor Lot Winning Bidder
Mr Gordon Dawson Upper Arndilly, River Spey Mr Lawrence Dalgleish
Lord Richard Wellesley Knockdolian Beat, River Stinchar Mr Gordon Hyslop
Gordonian Fishings Newtyle Beat, River Tay Mr Peter Ross
Gordonian Fishings Newtyle Beat, River Tay Mr Stuart Lang
Mr Robert Dalrymple Ballantrae Beat, River Stinchar Mr Lawrence Dalgleish
Mr Carlos Van Heddegem Holms Beat, River Doon Mr Tony Callan
Mr Stuart Lang Balnowlart Beat, River Stinchar Mr Nick Candlish
Raffle Draw
Donor Prize Winner
Mr David Cosh 15ft Fulling Mill Salmon Rod Mr Andrew Ewing
ATH Resources Bottle of Famous Grouse Whisky Mr Carlos Van Heddegem
Mr Robin Wilson Bottle of Smirnoff Vodka Mr Hugh McLatchie
Mr Jim Stevens Daiwa Fishing Rod Mr Ian McGregor
ART Fleece Jacket Mrs Aleta Shaw
ART Fleece Jacket Mr Douglas Stewart
ART River Stinchar Print Mr Jimmy Mair
Mr David Slider “Matching the Hatch” Book Mr Alistair Paton
Mr David Slider Crivit Fishing Reel Mr John Squire
Morrisons Supermarket Box of Biscuits Mr Bob Cairns
ART Power Down Energy Saver Mr Andrew Ewing
Mrs Aleta Shaw Sewing Box Mrs Janette Galbraith
Mr Phil Haughton Bottle Grants Whisky Mr Jimmy Mair
Mr Ian McGregor Bottle of Chardonnay Mr Peter McIlwraith
Mr Ian McGregor Bottle of Rose Wine Mr Alistair Duguid
Mr Ian McGregor Bottle of Sauvignan Blanc Mr Gordon Hyslop
Mr David Slider Bottle Vodkat Mr Willie McLeod
Mr David Slider Bottle White Wine Mr Carlos Van Heddegem
Mrs Marty Anderson Bottle Fitou Mr Hugh McLatchie
Wm Grant & Sons Bottle Monkey Shoulder Whisky Mr Douglas Stewart
Wm Grant & Sons Bottle Glenfiddich Whisky Mr Colin Chalmers
Wm Grant & Sons Bottle Balvenie Whisky Mr Jim Smillie
Wm Grant & Sons Bottle Hendricks Gin Mr David Crawford
Thanks also to the other top table guests, Mr Jim Stevens, Mr Ian McGregor and Mr Brian Shaw, and to all of the above Raffle Prize and Auction Donors for their fantastic generosity. Last, and by no means least, a huge thank you to the Ivy Rooms staff for their help and assistance in staging this event, and for the lovely meal that was enjoyed by all! See you in 2011!
The Trust ‘s biologists have organised a spawning walk on the River Ayr on Saturday 4th December.
This should provide the opportunity to watch salmon cutting redds and spawning in the shallow riffles and runs as they complete the final stage in their lifecycle.
The walk will last between 2 -3 hours and will be at a very leisurely pace. A pair of polarising sunglasses are useful to reduce the surface glare and improve visibility. Wellingtons or thigh waders are essential and a walking stick helps with balance. Obviously this walk will be weather dependent and if water levels are too high, or the temperature is too low, then it will be postponed (or the veue changed if there are suitable alternatives elsewhere in Ayrshire on that day). Time and meeting place will be arranged in due course.
Anyone interested in coming along should contact the Trust asap as places will be limited.
It is looking unlikely that there will be any activity on the redds this weekend due to the low temperatures. Unless there is a change in the weather soon, the spawning walk will be postponed for 1 week. Watch this space for updates.
ART were kindly given a signed framed 2009 Rangers Shirt (27 players signatures) to help raise funds. Rangers F.C. were the Scottish Premier League Champions in 2009.
After much deliberation, we decided to auction the shirt through our web site.
Bids should be sent by email to info@ayrshireriverstrust or by telephone on 01292 525142. If emailing, please include your full contact details so that we may verify that the bid is correct.
The current highest bid will be updated at least on a daily basis but do remember this is not a live auction like ebay, so it’s advisable to get in early with your best bid.
The shirt can be viewed at our offices, Monday to Friday 9am -5pm.
The closing date for bids is 5.00pm on Tuesday 30th November.
The winning bidder will be announced shortly after the close of the auction. Payment through Pay Pal using the donate button or by arrangement with ART staff. Collection from our office at Ayr or delivery by arrangement.
Good luck!
Tuesday 5.00pm Bidding now ended. Sold to Tom Gibson from Kilmarnock for £130. Thanks Tom.
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On the 27th October, ART received a phone call from a concerned angler about pollution on the Lugar that ruined any prospect of fishing downstream of the Burnock Water at Ochiltree. ART attended immediately and contacted SEPA who also attended.
The situation was similar to the events that occurred during October 2008 with a large amount of suspended solids carried downstream from an opencast coal site (the source of which SEPA was unable to pinpoint). This time, the source was traced and the problems rectified quickly. The impact of this discharge on angling is obvious, however the impact on invertebrates and salmonid spawning is not. Trout will be spawning in the very near future and hopefully the silt arising from this discharge that coats the river bed will have cleared before then. The Burnock and Lugar are extremely important salmonid spawning and nursery areas.
Anglers are understandably aggrieved by this type of event and their loss of fishing which can extend to several days by the time the effects reduce. Any angler with concerns about water quality is encouraged to contact SEPA and the Trust as soon as a problem is evident. Where possible, photographs should be taken to support the complaint.
The discharge has been recorded and will be the subject of further investigation by SEPA. ART eagerly await their update.
Today, ART has been offered assistance with monitoring of both mink and water voles in the Irvine area by a group of volunteers that work for a local company. This very welcome assistance will allow ART to start controlling mink which should benefit the increasingly rare water vole. Monitoring with GCT type rafts will commence soon.
ART staff recently viewed a water vole crossing the Irvine near the Beechams site which was surprising as mink are well established in that area. Anyone with knowledge of water voles on the Irvine or willing to assist with monitoring is encouraged to get in touch. The more people involved , the wider the area that can be controlled.
Details of our work with water voles can be found in the water voles project pages of this site.
The Trust are running an introduction to Salmon Fly Tying during November.
Three seesions are planned initially, and will commence on Thursday 4th November at 5.30pm – 7.00pm. The 2nd and 3rd sessions are planned for the 11th and 18th November at the same time.
The content of the course is geared to complete novices and will aim to provide step by step instruction. After 3 sessions (and a bit of practice in between) participants should be able to produce a range of flies to suit most conditions.
There will be a nominal charge to cover costs.
Places will be limited so if you are interested please let us know soon.
If there is enough interest we may run a follow up course aimed at more advance fly tying.
The annual fisherman’s supper will be held at the Ivy Rooms, Miller Road, Ayr on the 12th November at 7.00 for 7.30pm.
Tickets are available now at £23.00 per head or £220.00 for a table of 10.
Brian Shaw, senior biologist with the Trust will deliver a brief summary of what’s been happening throughout the year followed by our two guest speakers.
Speakers on the night are Bill Nolan, an International Rugby Board Member, PR and Media Consultant and most importantly a lifelong angler and Tommy Wilson who despite being very funny and a great after dinner speaker hasn’t cast a flee in his life! The two of them are sure to keep the audience entertained throughout.
Book your tickets early to avoid disappointment as this event is normally fully booked.
Following the noticeable spread of Japanese Knotweed (JK) in some areas of the Doon catchment, ART has now secured the necessary funding to commence strategic control of this problem plant. Inappropriate management of JK in some areas has caused it to spread and increase in density along the river banks.
SEPA has agreed to match fund the Doon District Salmon Fishery Board’s contribution in an effort to gain control of what threatens to be a major problem if left unchecked. ART has been responsible for initiating this control and will be project managing the ongoing effort in 2010 and 2011. Trial results indicate that the most effective period of control is Autumn, during flowering. In September this year, a local contractor will embark on the task of treating every known stand of JK along the length of the Doon (with the exception those areas already under control agreements or organically farmed). The Doon DSFB will be contacting all riparian owners for their permission in due course.
Landowners are legally obliged to prevent the spread of this plant from their land under the Wildlife and Countryside (Scotland) Act 1981. It is therefore in everyone’s to allow this opportunity to become a landmark event in Ayrshire. We just have to look to the Stinchar valley to see how invasive (and expensive) this plant can become in a relatively short space of time.
The photo below shows the plant in flower but interestingly in the UK, it never forms seed and reproduces only by vegetative means (cuttings).
The catch data graphs have been updated to include 2009 information. If you click on the desired river you will then see a tab for catch data corresponding to that particular river, there you will find the updated graphs. One graph is for salmon catch and release and the other sea trout catch and release.
The overall figures are shown in the tables below.
|
|
Salmon and Grilse 2009 rod catches |
|||
|
River |
Retained |
Released |
Total |
% Released |
|
Irvine |
173 |
55 |
228 |
24 |
|
Ayr |
529 |
114 |
643 |
17.7 |
|
Doon |
289 |
289 |
578 |
50 |
|
Girvan |
163 |
259 |
422 |
61.3 |
|
Stinchar |
285 |
327 |
612 |
53 |
|
|
Sea Trout and Finnock 2009 rod catches |
|||
|
River |
Retained |
Released |
Total |
% Released |
|
Irvine |
35 |
4 |
39 |
10 |
|
Ayr |
8 |
30 |
38 |
79 |
|
Doon |
1 |
24 |
25 |
96 |
|
Girvan |
6 |
58 |
64 |
90.6 |
|
Stinchar |
8 |
59 |
67 |
88 |
The 2010 Annual General Meeting of Ayrshire Rivers Trust will be held on the 7th July at Ayr Rugby Club, Millbrae, Alloway, KA7 4PJ, 7pm for 730pm. As well as the usual formalities we are pleased to announce that there will be a guest speaker present. Marcus Walters, of the Moray Firth Sea trout Project will give a presentation on the work being carried out to investigate the causes of the decline in the Moray Firth sea trout population. The work being carried out in the project may provide some useful pointers for research into the decline in sea trout in Ayrshire and the wider Firth of Clyde.
We would like to encourage as many members and interested parties as possible to attend.
ART have engaged a contractor to spray the upper River Ayr again this year. This will be the third successive year that the river upstream of Stair Bridge has been controlled by ART. Additionally, ART are spraying the lower river on behalf of South Ayrshire Council to reduce the risk to public health. The right bank downstream of the stepping stones to Nethermills Weirs has already been completed and the left bank will follow shortly. Duck / Swan island is a particularly bad spot on the left bank and the plants are already 3 feet high.
Despite our efforts and a huge reduction in mature plants, there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of young seedlings emerging from the soil this year. Hard winters are known to break the seed dormancy so we were expecting a flush of new plants. Preventing flowering and seed production remains our top priority as the seed bank in the soil is ever reducing although realistically we expect to maintain our efforts for some considerable time yet.
The Stinchar DSFB AGM will be held at Minuntion on the 6th May at 7pm (vote early!). The guest speaker this year will be Dr Ronald Campbell, Head Biologist with the Tweed Foundation. Ronald will be giving a presentation titled ” A Talk on the Wild Side – Salmon Managment on the Tweed“. This is sure to be of interest to all anglers as Ronald has a wealth of fisheries management experience and knowledge.
All are welcome to attend.
The Savills Malloch Trophy is awarded for the heaviest salmon of the season, caught on the fly on any Scottish river, and released. This old trophy has been resurrected by the Tay District Salmon Fishery Board. In 2009 it was won by a fish of 32lb from the River Lochy. Salmon only slightly smaller than that were caught in Ayrshire last year so if you are lucky enough to land a salmon over 20lb on the fly do consider entering it for the trophy. It is not necessarily the biggest fish that wins the trophy, the circumstances and location will also be considered by the judging panel.
How to Enter
Catch It Catch your wild Atlantic Salmon on a fly
Weigh It Those over 20lbs are contenders
Measure It Both length and girth (take a photo if poosible)
Verify It Independent witness required
Record It Detail fishing tackle used, date, time and place of capture
Release It
Enter It Entry forms are available from tbsfb.org or your local river office
Prizes
Winner’s Prizes Silver Sculpture by Patrick Mavros
£250 House of Bruar voucher
Invitation to the River Tay Annual Awards Dinner
Ghillie’s Prize Savills Malloch Medal and cash prize
Memorial Prize Awarded to the winning river
Ayrshire Rivers Trust have recently started an exciting research project on the River Ayr. A rotary screw trap has been deployed in the main stem of the river to sample downstream migrating smolts. The screw trap is constructed from aluminium and consists of two floatation pontoons, a rotating cone drum and a fish box. Once the cone is partly submerged it rotates as the current flows past the specially designed fins. Any fish entering the cone are led into the holding box (thanks to Galloway Fisheries Trust for lending the smolt trap)
A range of information will be collected during the project including smolt run timing, smolt size and age, genetic samples and evidence of predator damage. The smolt run will also be related to environmental factors such as river levels and water temperature.
This project would not have been possible without funding contributions from the River Ayr District Salmon Fishery Board, Scottish Government (via Fishery Management Planning Project funding) and Scottish Coal.
Stuart Brabbs adjusting the smolt trap
Ayrshire Rivers Trust recently held a very well attended seminar on the theme “Under the surface of Fisheries Management”. The event was well attended and the appreciative audience heard presentations from a range of well known speakers.
Seminar speakers from the left: Brian Shaw ~ Ayrshire Rivers Trust, Andy Walker ~ Wild Trout Trust, Lucy Filby ~ SEPA, Peter Kennedy (Chairperson), Eric Verspoor ~ Marine Scotland, Craig Macadam ~ Buglife. (Andrew Wallace ASFB/RAFTS also presented but had to leave early).
Ayrshire Rivers Trust would like to take this opportinuty to thank the speakers for their excellent contibutions. Many thanks also to the audience for turning up in such good numbers to make the day a great success.
During March, ART trained 7 volunteers to apply pesticides to recognised and certified standards. The candidates were trained and asssessed in The Safe Use of Peticides using hand held applicators in or near water. (PA6AW). The cost of this training was met by SEPA funding, awarded through the restoration fund to assist in improving the status of Ayrshire Watercourses impacted by invasive non native weeds.
The volunteers will now take control of invasive weeds on their local rivers follow strategic control methods coordinated by ART. This is the first time that this approach has been used to tackle the invasive weed problem in Ayrshire and perhaps Scotland, so we anticipate great results. Next year we intend to train a further 12 volunteers so if this is of interest, get in touch with your details.
After the very succesful fishery seminar held on Sat 27th Feb at Auchincruive, Craig MacAdam from Buglife has sent an ID sheet showing the March Brown mayfly, with space to record any sightings. The March brown (Rhithrogena germanica) is declining across Europe. The Ephemeroptera Recording Scheme is running a survey this year to establish the distribution of this iconic mayfly in the UK and Ireland. The March brown ‘season’ is almost upon us and Craig would be grateful if you could distribute this attachment to anglers, clubs and associations in your area so that his team receive as many records as possible. Please also have a look for this distinctive species on your local rivers and feel free to send digitial images of specimens to ourselves, which can then be forwarded to Craig for confirmation of your identification.
March Brown Mayfly ID and Record Sheet pdf (187KB)
The rod catch data for each of the main rivers in Ayrshire have been updated to include the 2008 official catch returns (see rivers tabs e.g. https://www.ayrshireriverstrust.org/catches.htm). For salmon 2008 was generally a very good year. The catches on the Ayr, Doon, Girvan and Stinchar were all above the ten year average with the 2008 catch on the Girvan particularly good: equivalent to 238% of the ten year average. The catch return for the Irvine District (which includes the Garnock) was the only Ayrshire area to be below the ten year average.
For sea trout the situation was not so good, although reported catches on the Ayr, Doon, Girvan and Stinchar were all above the ten year average. The Ayr showed the largest increase with a total of 45 sea trout reported in 2008 compared to the ten year average of 24. On the Irvine and Garnock the situation was similar to salmon with the reported catch being 25% of the ten year average.
Of course there are issues regarding the accuracy of the official catch statistics, and it is thought that this factor is not consistent across Ayrshire. The catch statistics alone suggest that there are problems in the Irvine and Garnock, however large numbers of spawning salmon were observed in the Irvine at the end of 2008, perhaps the highest number seenfor many years. Whether this was due to a large late run of salmon which arrived after the close of the angling season or whether there are other factors explaining the poor rod catch need investigative work.
ART staff have been working on a Biosecurity plan outlining the measures which should be taken for present non native invasive species and if others were to be introduced accidentally to the Ayrshire catchment. You will find the plan in PDF format under the documents tab or by clicking on the link below. Please feel free to read through it and get in contact with your comments.
ART are holding a fisheries management seminar on Saturday 27th February 2010. The seminar will be held in the Green Room located within the Refractory in Auchincruive Estate. All are welcome, tickets are £10 per person including lunch. Please confirm your booking by Friday 12th February either by email, phone or post. If further information is required please get in contact.
Further details are supplied by clicking here
For directions please click here
