Tweed Foundation 2013 Annual Report

The Tweed Foundation 2013 Annual Report



Contents Page The Tweed Foundation’s Annual Report 2013 Chairman’s Report 2 Director’s Foreword 3 Education: TweedStart & General 4-9 Fish Populations: Murray Cauld, Ettrick Water 10-11 St Mary’s Access Video Survey 12-13 River Till - Haughhead & Hedgeley 13 Juvenile Salmon & Trout 14 Fish Stocks: Salmon Large Fish 15 Salmon Tagging 16 Salmon Fecundity 17 Late Spawners/Fry Abundance 18 How Angling Diaries Can Help 19 Fish Stocks: Counting Whiteadder Fish Counter 20 Gala Fish Counter 21 Fish Stocks: Sea-trout Sea-trout Sizes 22 Acoustic Tracking of Smolts 23-24 Catch Trends 25 Fish Stocks: Brown trout Scale Reading 26 Sea-trout or Brown trout? 26 Sources of Brown trout on Tweed 27 Obstacles to trout 28 Brown trout Catches 29 Fish Stocks: Other Species Grayling 30 Lamprey 30 Biosecurity 31 Websites 32 Accounts 33 Trustees & Staff 34 Acknowledgements 34 Membership 35 Donations & Gift Aid 36 Map of the Tweed Catchment Published June 2014 1 © The Tweed Foundation Front cover: Ephemera danica, The Mayfly, photographed on the River Whiteadder www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Chairman’s Report At the time of this report going to press, owners and managers as well. I am sure that the Scottish Government’s Land Reform this will be considered by the review group Review Group has made recommendations and how it can best fit with other fisheries regarding the future of Scottish Salmon management on both sides of the border. Fishery Boards and the Scottish Government The Tweed fisheries are in good fettle: the has commissioned a review of wild fisheries management system works and it works well. management in Scotland; it is due to report The Foundation’s programme of priorities has in September 2014. a review process and it remains crucial to rank that work. There are many claims on what little The Tweed Foundation is in a different finance is available for fisheries management position from the Fisheries Trusts in the rest of these days and I make no apology for the Scotland, its remit being inter alia to manage Foundation sticking to those aspects that all fisheries on Tweed, both in Scotland and we ourselves consider to be important rather in England. It has no statutory powers, those than those of other agencies. This means that being vested in the River Tweed Commission, we have become less eligible for grants than but it does gather and process the essential before but it does mean that we remain our information that is required to manage all the own master. Financial support, in many forms, fisheries on the river; this for use not just by has become even more important now and the Commission but by angling clubs, fishery those who provide it are much valued, and I thank you for it. Douglas Dobie 2 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Director’s Foreword The delivery of the Foundation’s work is latest technology, even though we operate a core part of our activity, we are having to driven by the Tweed Fisheries Management on relatively small budgets. We do our do it to compensate for the lack of grants Plan. This has far more in it that we can achieve best to benchmark that with other fisheries to undertake those things which are on our with the modest budget that we have, and management bodies to avoid what one priority list. We can deliver this better than to some extent we are opportunistic in that staunch supporter of the Foundation once any other body through our experience of if new or additional funding is available we called “mad scientist disease”; we go to great the river and the abundant historic data that include our next most important priority in lengths to make sure we never suffer from we hold. This report outlines just some of the year’s plan. Some of this is described in that. the work we are undertaking; even more is the following pages. ongoing and we will be able to report on it in Working to a structured and tailored plan the years following. We are intent on sharing There are several salient features to all our which is flexible yet provides scope to move what we do with decision makers and all work and how we deliver it. Firstly, we strive as fish issues arise, which they invariably the managers of the river and so we have for excellence in all that we do and, for the do, is challenging and yet rewarding. We begun this report with what we loosely call first time, we are building up Tweed TV: this value our structure which is driven by local education: really it is the dissipation of our is a loose collection of films and lectures support and we are certain that we are work and the first pages detail some of the on YouTube which we hope are of interest more productive than we would be if we ways in which we do that. I commend the to those on Tweed. The quality of our data were driven by a large, corporate engine. report to you and reiterate Douglas’ thanks and the knowledge that ensues from it Increasingly, we are being drawn into paid to the very many people who support us. emanates from sound science using the work by developers and, whilst this is not Nick Yonge www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 3

Education: TweedStart Run by Eoin Fairgrieve and assisted by the Tweed Foundation’s Trout Here is what a typical TweedStart school’s day includes: & Grayling Biologist, Kenny Galt, TweedStart worked with eight primary and secondary schools in the Scottish Borders and North • The day begins with an introduction and a talk on health and Northumberland this year, introducing 165 youngsters to fly fishing and safety. Being near water, life jackets are a must for the children promoting the positive impact that angling has on the local community attending, whilst protective glasses are required at all times when and environment. More days had been planned for early summer but fishing is taking place. algal blooms at the trout lake prevented them from taking place. • The children are given a presentation on the life cycle of the Atlantic Salmon, the Borders’ most iconic fish, and its importance to the environment, angling and the local economy. • Pond dipping in the TweedStart minibeast pond where children are taught about the importance of freshwater invertebrates, their life cycle and their significance to angling. • This is naturally followed by a demonstration of fly tying where fishing flies are tied to imitate the minibeasts seen during the pond dipping. • The day ends with the children getting the chance to do some fly fishing in the Roxburghe trout lake under the supervision of qualified instructors Eoin Fairgrieve and Malcolm Douglas. During TweedStart days many children catch their first trout! Pond dipping at the Roxburghe minibeast pond Learning to identify fly life The children find and learn to identify invertebrates, such as the Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum): nymph stage shown above and adult below 4 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Education: TweedStart In addition to the days at the trout lake, TweedStart attended a special children’s day at the Springwood Showground in Kelso. This formed part of the bicentenary of the Border Union Agricultural Society and was attended by over 1,000 children from Borders’ schools. TweedStart used the opportunity to show the children fly tying and freshwater invertebrates whilst also explaining their importance to both fishing and the wider environment. The organisers are now making the children’s day an annual event. Experience a TweedStart Day on Film Search for ‘TweedStart’ at www.youtube.com/tweedfoundation A group of very happy first-time anglers! Getting casting tuition from TweedStart founder, Eoin Fairgrieve www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 5

Education The Tweed Foundation is involved with a wide range of educational events in addition to TweedStart, and provided displays and talks for a number of groups during 2013. These included presentations and demonstrations on fish life cycles for Langlee Primary School (three separate days) and Broughton Primary School; an electro-fishing display at Northumberland National Park for a Young Conservationists group; fish and electro-fishing for the Hawick Bioblitz day; fly life demonstrations at a kids fishing day run by the Whiteadder Angling Association (at Whinney Loch) and a display at the Children’s Countryside Day. The Day is held annually at the Glendale Showground, Wooler, for 1,500 children from primary schools in Northumberland to give them a flavour of the range of industries that take place in the countryside. Ronald Campbell and Kenny Galt electro-fishing at the Hawick Bioblitz day Ronald Campbell explaining the finer points of The Tweed Foundation’s work to a group of children at the Countryside Day in Wooler, June 2013 A novel way to help children understand how fish ascend obstacles! 6 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Education Visitors to the Foundation included Mr Yasuo Naito the London correspondent forToyko’s biggest newspaper“The Sankei Shimbun”- the equivalent of “The Times” in the UK. Mr Naito was especially fascinated by the electro-fishing demonstration - rather originally comparing our backpack equipment to the apparatus used in the“Ghostbusters”movie! The Foundation, in conjunction with the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS), entertained a group of Swedish water protection officers from Vastra Gotaland, and we also gave presentations to a group of Norwegians on a study tour from Vefsna Regional Park, and a touring group of Scandinavian fishing journalists looking for new ways of entertaining sporting parties abroad. Above: The article on The Tweed Foundation in the 7th July 2013 edition of The Sankei Shimbun Right: Yasuo Naito enjoyed helping Ronald Campbell and James Hunt to record an electro-fishing sample from the Leader Water The Tweed Foundation, with officers from RAFTS, entertained a delegation of water protection officers from Vastra Gotaland, Sweden James Hunt giving a presentation on fish counters to a group from Vefsna Regional Park, Norway www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 7

Education As always, the Foundation attended the Border Union Agricultural Show in Kelso, with the 2013 event being the Show’s bicentenary year. Given its importance to the Borders economy and the money it generates for conservation and restoration within the Tweed system, the Foundation’s 2013 display concentrated on angling on Tweed. The display included a quiz for children, a “have a go” fly tying section, and was visited by HRH The Countess of Wessex as she toured around the Showground. Jenny Davidson, The Foundation’s summer student in 2013, helps with the badge making at the Show James Hunt teaching fly tying techniques, which proved very popular with all ages HRH The Countess of Wessex visits The Tweed Foundation’s stand at the Show 8 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Education The Tweed Foundation’s Benefactors completed a tour of habitat sites in the Ettrick valley in June, followed by an visit to the hydro scheme at the Murray Cauld, Selkirk, still at the construction stage at that point. To a packed audience at the Ednam House Hotel in Kelso on a blizzard-struck March evening, the Foundation held a seminar on Sea-trout exploring new and recent discoveries about Tweed’s Sea-trout following the conclusion of the international partnership of the “Living North Sea” study in which we were heavily committed. The seminar provided detail on the various elements of the Foundation’s Sea-trout studies, including “What makes a Sea-trout?”, trapping ‘home’ Tweed populations, acoustic tracking of smolts downstream and adults back upstream, migrations around the North Sea, fish counting and scale reading, all of which will help in forming future management decisions. Right: The Foundation’s Benefactors visited habitat sites on the Ettrick Water, where the fantastic displays of wild flowers, including several species of orchid, were almost more of a draw than the river! Below: Benefactors visiting the Philiphaugh hydro scheme site on the Ettrick Water whilst work was still in progress Seminar on Tweed Sea-trout held at the Ednam House Hotel, Kelso in March www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 9

Fish Populations Monitoring the effect of obstacles on fish passage 2012 and 2013 construction period. None of the construction period and undertaking appropriate habitat protection and figures lie outside the previous range, showing that the works had no restoration work for each salmon stock. (FMP INPUTS 2B(3)) significant affect on fry numbers upstream. (FMP = Fisheries Management Plan) 2) Visual observations at the Murray Cauld. To assess whether adult Salmon or Trout were having problems finding or ascending the new Murray Cauld, Ettrick Water Larinier fish pass (opened in September 2013), visual observations were carried out by the River Tweed Commission and Tweed Foundation The reconstruction of the Murray Cauld at Philiphaugh raised two staff between the 28th September and the 30th November 2013, either questions: daily or every other day during the working week. The standardised recordings made during those observations included the number of 1) whether the disturbance caused by the construction work could fish jumping onto the cauld face and the number of fish seen exiting affect fish passage and, the fish pass. Any build-up of fish was reflected by an increased number 2) whether the new fish pass was effective. of fish jumping onto the cauld face which regularly occurred in previous years when fish were trying to locate the entrance to the old fish pass. The fish counter having had to be removed, the evidences to answer Very few fish were, however, observed jumping at the cauld, providing these questions had to come, for the first question, from the annual evidence that Salmon and migrating Trout were able to easily locate electro-fishing surveys of the Ettrick and Yarrow, which have been and then ascend the new Larinier fish pass. Further studies using fish going on since 1997 and for the second, from visual observations of telemetry and pit tagging technology are planned for 2014 to provide fish at the cauld. more direct evidence that the new fish pass is working effectively. 1) Fry numbers upstream of the Murray Cauld during reconstruction. The options for a new fish counter are being considered, but direct Table 1 shows the pre-works maximum and minimum annual averages evidence of the efficiency of the new fish pass will be available from the for the different sections of the catchment and the results for the next electro-fishing survey of the Ettrick and Yarrow, which is scheduled for September 2014. Table 1: Surveys to check on spawning when works were in progress at the Murray Cauld. (Results are numbers of Salmon fry per 5 minutes) ETTRICK Above the Ettrick Tima Tushielaw to Ettrickbridge to the Cauld Below MARSHES: Marches Water & Ettrickbridge the Distance from Rankle 05 to 10 10 to 15 Cauld source Burn 45 to 50 Kms 20 to 25 25 to 30 30 to 32.5 35 to 40 40 to 45 Pre-works Max 35.10 52.50 33.10 56.20 45.00 46.60 55.00 48.20 60.90 results Min 8.15 13.92 17.74 16.00 18.40 7.40 10.00 8.50 19.10 Construction 2012 16.80 36.10 31.20 41.00 33.40 39.00 21.90 23.40 49.70 period results 2013 10.40 20.50 24.90 56.20 38.80 22.30 19.80 48.30 46.50 YARROW: Above St. Loch to Douglas Douglas Burn to Lewenshope to Philliphaugh Distance Mary’s Loch Gordon Burn Lewenshope from source Arms Kms Max 00 to 05 10 to 15 50.50 15 to 20 20 to 25 25 to 30 30 to Ettrick Min 12.50 Pre-works 30.07 43.40 36.50 55.00 33.40 25.70 results 2012 1.20 16.00 17.90 14.00 7.10 0.80 1.70 2013 12.50 Construction 2.00 25.00 14.30 15.50 5.40 16.50 period results 5.60 37.00 22.30 21.60 18.30 5.60 10 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Populations The falls on the College Burn What is a Larinier Fish Pass ? The Larinier fish pass that has been chosen is of a type called a super-active baffle pass. It was developed by two French engineers, Larinier and Miralles, in the early 1980’s and is widely used across Europe and Britain. It is suitable not only for migratory salmonids such as Salmon and Sea-trout, but also for an extensive range of other species which can use the low velocity areas within it created by baffles. Larinier passes only have baffles on the bed of the pass, unlike some other types of fish pass. The baffles create water flows in different directions within the fish pass, rather than flowing down the slope of the pass only. This allows fish moving through the fish pass to find the easiest path through the water to swim upstream with the minimum of effort. A section of the pass is shown on the wall of the turbine house at Philiphaugh. It is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is very strong and UV stable. The pass is constructed in two sections, each set at 15o and with a deep resting pool between them, situated behind the turbine house. The head of water at Philiphaugh is controlled by the screw turbine generators so that at all times except in major floods there is an optimum level, and therefore flow, of water in the fish pass making the hydrology ideal. The flows are authorised and regulated by a “controlled activities” (CAR) licence which is issued by SEPA. The Larinier fish pass (from the top, i.e. looking downstream) during construction at the Murray Cauld, Selkirk. The chevron-shaped baffles lie on the bed of the fish pass The completed hydro installation at the Murray Cauld. The fish pass is immediately to the left of the turbine cage. Next to it, and on the main face of the cauld, is an eel pass www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 11

Fish Populations St Mary’s Loch, Yarrow Water St Mary’s Access Video Survey Electro-fishing results in the spawning burns that run in to St Mary’s As this would have affected the fish pass, Scottish Water undertook Loch and the Loch of the Lowes have proved very variable since regular to finance an investigation in to fish access into the Loch. The study surveys started in the 1990s: in the Little Yarrow, Salmon fry numbers was undertaken by Durham University in 2011 and 2012 and involved have varied from 30.7 in five minutes down to just 1.2. The most obvious setting up a video recording system over the outflow channels to possible cause for this would be difficulties of access for spawners in to record how many fish passed up them without dropping down again the lochs through the fish pass and regulating channels that connect St afterwards. Only 13 potential migrants were recorded over the two Mary’s with the Yarrow Water. autumn seasons in 3,308 hours of recordings, of which only three small/ The two access points into St Mary’s Loch: the fish pass on the left and the regulating medium-sized fish appeared channels on the right to have passed through successfully. All five “salmon- However, examination of these outflow channels did not show any sized” migrants failed to get apparent physical barrier to fish, though the fish pass beside them through. However, electro- could only work when the loch was at quite a high level and water fishing in the Little Yarrow was spilling through it as well as being let out through the channels. showed that some Salmon An opportunity to study this situation more closely arose when the did get through to spawn St Mary’s Loch flood storage feasibility study, part of the Selkirk Flood in both those years, though Protection Scheme, commenced. This planned, inter alia, to drop the fry numbers were low (3.3/5 level of the loch to increase its holding capacity for flood waters and to minutes in 2011 and 5.62 in automate the control of compensation water to the Yarrow Water with 2012). Additional electro- manual intervention in floods and droughts, giving benefits during very fishing in 2012 in the Kirkstead dry conditions, such that water stocks could be preserved longer. Burn, the stream nearest to the outflows, actually produced a site with 63 fry/5 minutes, a very good result for anywhere in the Ettrick and Yarrow system, again showing that some Salmon did get through and that the fish pass, although only operational at occasional higher water levels, was the working connection between Loch and river. However, as the pass appears to be of variable efficiency, amendments to the fish pass have now been made as part of the Selkirk Flood Protection Scheme. These will include converting the fish pass to a channel or “fishway”, increasing the tailwater levels at the outlet structure and narrowing the low flow channel to ensure it remains in keeping with the downstream reaches of the Yarrow. 12 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Populations The video camera mounted above the The current St Mary’s fish pass, spilling crump weir at the entrance to one of the regulating channels 13 River Till: Haughhead Ford & Hedgeley Bridge Apron The Foundation is continuing to monitor numbers of fry upstream both at Hedgeley Bridge and the Haughhead Ford, and in the Till catchment. Northumberland County Council installed a new fish pass in the Hedgeley Bridge apron in autumn 2011 but there was no marked increase in fry numbers in 2012, when an extra survey was made to check, possibly because it had only been completed in the previous October. Numbers were much better for both Salmon and Trout in 2013, with some upstream sites reaching the highest category, and it may be the case that it will take a few years for the Salmon and Trout populations to build up again. Haughhead continues to be a major obstruction to fish passage but the results clearly show that adult Trout do get past in reasonable numbers to spawn as the numbers of fry in 2013 were mostly in the ‘High’ to ‘Very High’ categories in contrast to Salmon fry which were almost completely absent. The ford is classified as both a byway and a public footpath so its removal would present significant problems to Northumberland County Council, which owns it. Ideally, it would be replaced with a clear-span structure and this is being investigated. The new fish pass at Hedgeley Bridge in low water www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Juvenile Salmon & Trout Monitoring the abundances of juvenile Salmon in the For the Till catchment, the results continue to show that the middle and different parts of the catchment shows how well the upper Bowmont are important areas for Salmon fry production. The Till spawning areas are being filled with young. Monitoring graph below contrasts with that for the Teviot catchment showing low of smolt runs can also show how many have signs numbers of fry counted in 2007, a substantial increase in 2010 and a of damage by predators. (FMP INPUTS 2C, 3C & 4C) near doubling of results in 2013, compared to 2010. Electro-fishing Graph 2: River Till Salmon fry results As this was the third cycle of sampling using the fry index method There is no clear explanation for these results; there may have been a for the Teviot and Till catchments, we are beginning to get a firm lack of spawning Salmon in the past but this is unlikely given the angling understanding of the geographical distribution of Salmon and Trout fry catch statistics. One hypothesis is that the large flood events between and the changes in numbers that can occur over time. Most areas of 2007 and 2013 improved the instream habitat through large-scale the Teviot catchment are very productive for Salmon fry, particularly the gravel movement. Most of the sites that increased were on lowland Ale, Kale and Borthwick Waters. The Trout fry results show that the bulk sections of the river (particularly the Glen and lower Bowmont) where of juvenile Trout production is from tributaries in the southern part of the amount of gravel was restricted in the past and what there was, was the catchment where there is the greatest abundance of suitably sized probably sedimented. If this is the case, then it can be expected that watercourses. The Slitrig rock shelf in Hawick continues to be a major juvenile numbers will decline over time as these sections of the river obstruction to adult Salmon migration and lower results have been revert to type, with fine sediment covering and replacing gravel as the identified above the Weens Cauld at Bonchester Bridge on the Rule stream bed. Water. However, the Trout fry results indicate that adult Trout migration and spawning is not strongly affected by either of these obstructions. An important indication of adequate spawning is the stability of results over time, which is a sign that capacity is being consistently reached. The average number of Salmon fry in the main channel and tributaries of the Teviot catchment is very stable, see Graph 1. Visit www.tweedfoundation.org.uk (Menus: Work - Priorities - Electro-fishing) for a more detailed account of the methodology, maps and conclusions Graph 1: River Teviot Salmon fry results 14 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Salmon Historic records show how the sizes and run-timings Visit www.tweedfoundation.org.uk of fish have varied over the years and give the for No.4 FAQ paper on Salmon Sizes context for the present day situation. (FMP INPUT 2D) Large Fish Some large fish caught recently in Inches Lbs Sex Date Place both spring and autumn have created 53.00 57.50 M a lot of interest on the river. With 51.00 56.00 M 27/10/1886 Floors (but weighed following day) so much “Catch and Release” now, M M The Lees the length of fish is the usual guide 49.00 55.00 November 1889 Mertoun M 07/11/1913 The Lees to fish weight and there are various 51.00 55.00 M formulas to relate length to weight, 50.50 53.00 M 27/08/1888 Great Haugh nets though different answers are given 53.50 50.50 27/07/1893 Shoreside nets by each. The simplest way to relate length to weight for large fish is to 47.00 48.00 November 1889 Birgham Dub November 1889 Wark take the average weight for the length, 54.00 44.00 which can be derived from the general 52.00 43.00 22/04/1920 Rutherford length to weight graph for Tweed fish, 45.50 42.00 19/11/1908 Rutherford and then see the sort of individual 44.50 41.00 13/09/2005 Gardo Nets range around this from those fish that were both measured and weighed in Table 2: The Length : Weight for large Salmon recorded on Tweed the past. There are not many such examples as most such fish were just weighed rather than measured, but those available are shown in Table 2. There may be more large fish coming in to the river than is apparent from anglers’catches and this is shown by results from the Ettrick fish counter. Most years show there to have been fish of 35lbs+ going up the Ettrick, yet only one of that size was caught by anglers in those years. Numbers of fish measured at 115cms or over A Salmon of at least 45lbs captured on video passing through the Ettrick fish counter in (c.35lbs+) each year at the Ettrick Fish Counter September 2006 - before the images were available in colour 1999 3 2000 3 2001 1 2002 3 2003 1 2004 0 2005 4 2006 1 2007 2 2008 4 2009 0 Table 3: Number of fish of 35lbs + at the Ettrick Fish Counter www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 15

Fish Stocks: Salmon The most basic need of a stock is that enough fish Sea-trout run that was apparent this year (see also the Whiteadder Fish should escape all the pressures on them to spawn Counter report, page 20). and fully seed their nursery areas for the next generation and this is best known if the fish of each The acoustic tracking of Salmon and Sea-trout undertaken in 2010 and species and stock can be counted. (FMP INPUTS 2F, 3F) 2011 as part of the Living North Sea programme has greatly helped to understand these results. One question about the tagging has been Marking of fish with external (Floy) tags at the whether a significant number of fish dropped down-river afterwards bottom of the river to find out how many are and so were not actually available to be caught by anglers upriver. The subsequently caught upriver by anglers to provide tagging showed only two Salmon did this out of 79 tracked; they went the exploitation rates for different runs of fish has back down to the Whiteadder. Four of the 65 Sea-trout also dropped been continuing since 1997. (FMP INPUTS 2E.1, 3E.1) down, three to the Whiteadder. The tracking also showed that Sea- trout went through the lower river much faster than the Salmon, which Salmon Tagging Results 2013 would explain why there have been many more angling recaptures of Sea-trout on the middle and upper Tweed and on the tributaries than The regular summer tagging was made difficult by a combination of on the lower river, where most of the Salmon are recaptured. spates and hot weather. The June attempts were washed out by spates, then one of the July dates had to be cancelled due to the very hot The Sea-trout also dispersed to all the different tributaries – Whiteadder, weather and high water temperatures. Interestingly, the nets continued Till, Ettrick, Gala and Leader, with half of them heading up the Teviot. to catch fish during the hot weather although catches during the cooler Salmon, by contrast, were much more limited to the main channel. It nights were generally better than during the day. Planned dates in should be remembered that the Sea-trout tracked were late summer/ August were netted but only one of the days in the usual third week early autumn fish and that other runs will have a different pattern of of September netting was practicable. One day was, however, fished dispersion, e.g. early Sea-trout go much more to the Till than later ones. in October. All in all, 38 Salmon and 29 Sea-trout were tagged but only The tracking also confirmed that Sea-trout move more at night than one Salmon was recaptured by anglers. Of the 29 Sea-trout tagged, Salmon. 18 were from the single October day, another sign of the delay in the Tagging at Paxton House netting station 16 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Salmon Salmon Fecundity Study The difference in gonad sizes between an 86 cms length fish on the left (9,367 eggs) and a 96 cms fish on the right (20,132 eggs) An important question in fisheries management is working out how many spawning adult fish are required to maximise the egg deposition estimates for Salmon above Tweed fish counters, samples the output of juvenile fish; for salmonid management this is are currently being collected from Tweed smokeries in the autumn and the the number of smolts going to sea or Brown trout dropping eggs counted to see if there is a relationship specific to Tweed fish and to down into the main river. Different approaches exist to try to investigate whether there are changes on an annual basis. For data collected answer this question and depend on the amount and type of in 2011 and 2012 the preliminary findings are that there is a Tweed specific data available as well as the size of the catchment. Trying to do length-fecundity relationship for two-sea-winter Salmon and there was a this for the whole catchment is unrealistic at present due to the significant difference between the two years that were sampled. Egg samples complexity of the system and the manpower effort required to will continue to be collected annually to continue this investigation. collect the relevant data. The current approach is focused on the sub-catchments upstream of the fish counters for which accurate numbers of returning adult Salmon are available. The number of females is taken as a proportion of the total count and the length of each of those is converted to a number of eggs. The total number of eggs deposited upstream of the counter can then be estimated and the egg deposition per unit area of stream bed worked out, the total area of stream bed area being estimated from aerial photography. These annual egg deposition estimates are then compared to published figures, with 500 eggs per 100 m2 of stream bed currently being used as the minimum deposition target to check if the spawning runs are adequate. Calculating the number of eggs that a hen fish carries relies on defining the relationship between its length and its number of eggs, its “fecundity”. A positive, slightly curved, relationship has been shown to exist between the two; the longer the fish, the more eggs it will carry. This relationship is known to vary on an annual basis and can be specific to a river system with latitudinal variation between rivers known to exist. To improve Graph 4: The length-fecundity points for Tweed multi-sea-winter Salmon www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 17

Fish Stocks: Salmon Relationship between numbers of late spawning adults Fry abundance 40 and fry abundances on the lower Ettrick 35 30 100 200 300 400 500 600 Since 1997 the Ettrick, both upstream and downstream of its fish 25 Number of adults counted counter, has been intensively sampled for Salmon fry every year when 20 water levels were suitable. The sampling system was 12 sites per 5kms 15 along its course, though where suitable sites were not present sampling 10 density was lower. The aims of this sampling were, firstly, to give an 5 index of abundance of Salmon fry upstream of the counter that could 0 be paired with the numbers of adults counted the previous autumn to see if there was any relationship and, secondly, to show the pattern of 0 fry distribution along the whole course of a major Salmon spawning tributary. If the abundance of juveniles upstream of the counter varied Graph 5: Average fry abundance from Ettrickbridge down to the cauld, and the total with the number of adults, it would show that the number of spawners number of adults counted through the previous November, December and January was limiting the numbers of fry. Conversely, if the abundance of fry was independent of the number of adults, it would show that the number This relationship is significant at the 95% level. The point that is most out of spawners was not a factor in controlling the levels of fry. of line is for the 2001 adults/2002 fry pair when fry numbers were lower than would be expected for the numbers of adults counted: in 2002, The first surprise to come from this sampling programme was the numbers of fry were, in fact, unusually low downstream of the cauld pattern of fry distribution along the whole channel of the Ettrick, from as well, indicating some factor not related to the cauld had affected its confluence with the Tweed to Potburn: there was a persistent area of spawning success in the lower Ettrick as a whole and if this year’s data lower fry numbers just upstream of the cauld, as shown in Diagram 1. is omitted, the significance level rises to 98%. Adult data from 2002 and 2003 is not included in this analysis, as low flow conditions delayed the This pattern was seen in all but one of the years sampled, though the whole run in those years and gave high counts in early November. numbers in the “low zone” varied considerably. In all, 30,408 Salmon fry were sampled over the years showing that this pattern is based on a The simplest interpretation of this is that the old fish pass restricted the substantial sample size. The Yarrow results (not shown here) showed a number of late spawning fish getting into the lower Ettrick and Yarrow: similar pattern, with numbers reduced between Lewenshope and the there is a well known “temperature barrier” at around 5oc below which Ettrick. Salmon, as cold-blooded animals, find it difficult to make the effort to get over waterfalls and fish passes. Earlier running and spawning fish In attempting to explain this “low zone” it was found that there was do not have to face this barrier and so would not be restricted by the a relationship between the number of “late spawners” (fish counted pass and would get through without problem to reach their spawning through the cauld in November, December and January) and the areas further upstream where, as the fry data shows, fry abundances abundances of fry in this zone the following September (later spawners were generally higher than further downstream. Data from the fish would be expected to belong to the lower Ettrick rather than to the counter confirmed the existence of this temperature barrier in the old middle or upper), as shown in Graph 5. fish pass at Philiphaugh but also showed that, unlike the situation at the nearby Gala fish counter (and at counters generally), darkness was 50 Number per 5 minutes Diagram 1: Average fry abundances along the Ettrick 1997 - 2010 40 30 5 10 EM 22.5 27.5 PL 37.5 Cauld 45 20 Distances downstream from source (kms) 10 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 0 0 18

Fish Stocks: Salmon also a barrier to Salmon movement through it. This meant that longer, How Angling Diaries Can Help winter, nights also restricted passage compared to the much shorter periods of darkness in summer. While there are good, long-term, statistical records of Salmon catches from a number of Tweed fisheries, it is always of great value to put some The new fish pass at the cauld should be much more efficient than the “flesh on the bones” with accounts of actual Salmon fishing, the time existing one but, even so, the effects of the temperature barrier will taken to catch fish, the methods used and the opinions of the period on largely remain, though those of daylight length should disappear. What what was going on, and these can be found in angling diaries like the effect the removal of the latter will have on the fry numbers in the lower one shown here. This is a particularly good example which not only has zones of the Ettrick and Yarrow remains to be seen. accounts of days fishing but also photographs and newspaper cuttings to do with angling and the river. For Brown trout, diaries like these are even more important, as although there are some good angling club competition records, competition fishing is not the same as ordinary angling. The Foundation is therefore always keen to find more diaries to improve its records so, if you have one or keep a diary, or know someone who has kept one or may have inherited one, do please contact us. Diaries lent to the Foundation can be digitally photographed page by page before return, so a permanent copy is made and the data then transcribed from the copies. An excellent example of an angling diary, showing entries from 1953 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 19

Fish Stocks: Counting Whiteadder Fish Counter A full count was completed for the Whiteadder counter in 2013. Of particular interest is the increased number of Trout passing through the counter in 2013 compared to previous years: Year 2010 2011* 2012** 2013 Salmon 192 786 638 564 Trout 44 617 418 1413 Generic*** 207 - - - Total 443 Salmon % n/a 1403 1056 1977 Trout % n/a 56 60 29 44 40 71 Table 4 Corrected annual totals for the Whiteadder fish counter * The counter was out of operation from 6th August to 15th August and from 14th September to 29th September in 2011. Remote access should now prevent this from re-occurring for long periods ** The counter was out of operation from 4th October to 4th December 2012 due to flood damage *** Generic = not identified to species This is partly due to 2013 being the first time that the counter has The fish pass in the cauld at Ahlstroms on the River Whiteadder at Chirnside. Looking worked without interruption for a whole year. The higher total may also upstream, the fish counter is situated at the top of the pass just before the fish exit the be due to the prolonged period of low water over the summer and structure to continue their journey upriver autumn period. Fish that passed upstream during this period could only go through the fish pass and the counter, the face of the cauld being largely dry. Of note is that through the prolonged dry period in the summer some fish, mainly Sea-trout, continued to pass through the counter even in very low water conditions on a daily basis. Graph 3 summarises the movements in July and August; on most days just one to five fish were recorded passing through but there were a number of days where up to 70 fish were counted. Further analysis is required to see if freshet releases from the Whiteadder reservoir can be related to increased fish movements. Graph 3: Daily totals of fish through the Whiteadder fish counter in July and August 2013 20 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Counting Gala Fish Counter Validating the Gala Fish Counter In addition to the standard fish counting and analysis that is carried out 2013 was a challenging year for the Gala fish counter: firstly, the scanner at the Gala counter, a fish trap is run in the fish pass upstream of the had to be returned to Iceland for repair and, on return, the electricity fish counter on an occasional basis when fish are running. Trapping fish supply to the counter was cut off while renovations were carried out allows us to take scale samples for ageing fish and species identification in the neighbouring building. Fortunately, a prolonged dry period to validate the results of the fish counter. Depth measurements of lasted into October while the counter went back into operation in mid- individual fish (= their side-on “height”) can be taken and used to define August. The first rise in water was on the 16th and 17th October when their relationship to their length. These results from actual fish can over 1,500 fish passed through the counter in just four days. Due to then be compared with the formula used by the fish counter, which high water turbidity, species identification using the video camera was measures fish “depth” to calculate their lengths. reduced to 17% (normally around 60%) which meant that unidentified fish had to be classified using previous data on Salmon or Trout lengths. Trapping in the fish ladder at the Skinworks Cauld, Galashiels The results in Table 5 show that the Trout total for 2013 was ranked fourth out of the six years of results that have been collected so far. The Salmon total was ranked fifth out of six, being only slightly higher than the total for 2012. The snow melt event in Spring 2010 led to a high mortality of Salmon fry in the main channel of the Gala Water and this was expected to be detectable in fish counter results due to fewer emigrating smolts and, as a consequence, fewer returning adult fish. The most common river and sea age combination in the Tweed system for Salmon is 2.1 (2 years in the river, one at sea) followed by 2.2 (two years in the river, two in the sea). The 2.1 fish from the 2010 fry returned in 2013 but no large-scale decrease was detected in the adult count, as was expected. There is no clear explanation for this result: one possibility is that the Gala Salmon may be part of a wider stock that is not specific to the Gala Water. It is interesting to note, however, that the two lowest totals so far have been those recorded in 2012 and 2013 and this may well be related to that snow melt event: if, for example, one year old parr had been affected as well as the fry in 2010, then a reduced total could be expected for 2012 as well as for 2013. A low total in 2014 followed by an increase in 2015 would then provide evidence that the effect of the flood event had been spread out over a three-year period rather than the two years expected (one poor Grilse return and one poor Salmon). Table 5 Corrected annual totals Salmon surplus = number of Salmon minus the spawning target of 656 fish (at egg deposition rate of 500 eggs/100 m2). Figures in brackets are for trout under 40cms (included in the Trout total), the majority of which are assumed to be Brown trout. Year Salmon Trout Total Salmon Trout Salmon A 60cms Brown trout % % Surplus 2008 1954 2273 (345) 4227 45 55 21 2009 1063 1889 (377) 2952 36 64 1298 2010 1361 1362 (232) 2723 50 50 407 2011 1481 2354 (559) 3835 39 61 705 2012 821 1361 (239) 2182 38 62 825 2013 894 1494 (304) 2388 37 63 165 238 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Sea-trout Determining the relationships of Tweed Sea-trout to There are some locally migrating Tweed Sea-trout as well and it is other populations around the North Sea. (FMP INPUTS 3A.3) possible that the Whitling of the Till are a locally migrating population, representing a northern type in amongst the other, southern, type of Sea-trout Sizes Tweed fish. It has long been noticed that Tweed Sea-trout and those of the rivers This difference in size between Tweed fish and those to the north is long to the south are larger than those of the rivers to the north, and a very established. In the 1920s, G.H. Nall found that the average weight of simple way of illustrating this has been found through utilising the data Tweed Sea-trout was double that of samples from the Spey nets, which sent to the FishPal websites for the Tweed, Aberdeenshire Dee, Tay and had average weights of 2.21lbs in 1921 and 1.74lbs in 1927. Similarly, Northumberland Tyne on the largest Sea-trout caught each day. These a sample from the Forth nets in 1915 had an average weight of only have been collected for 2012 and 2013 and Graph 6 clearly shows that 1.8lbs. In terms of larger fish, none of the Spey or Forth fish in these the Tay and Dee fish are smaller, their peak frequencies being at two samples were over 8 ½ lbs. and three pounds, whilst the Tweed peak frequency is at six pounds. The Tyne appears to have a double peak however, one at three pounds Genetics and another at five. Both the Tweed and the Tyne have a long “tail” of even larger fish, up to 12 lbs for the Tyne and 16lbs for the Tweed The genetics work on Sea-trout undertaken as part of the Living North while the biggest Dee and Tay fish so far reported are only eight and six Sea programme has given extremely interesting results: not only are pounds respectively. Tweed Sea-trout distinguishable from those of the other major rivers in the region, a separate and distinctive population within the catchment This change in size from smaller, northern, Sea-trout to larger southern, has also been identified. Once this work, by the Technical University of happens somewhere between the Forth and the Tweed, but no data Denmark, has been published in the scientific press, a summary will be has yet been found for the Cramond Almond, the Haddington Tyne nor put on the Tweed Foundation website. the Musselburgh Esk. It is not an age difference as most of the fish in all these rivers are one sea-winter old but it does appear to be a migration difference. Northern Sea-trout, as shown by extensive tagging on the North Esk, are more limited and local in their migration, moving equally north and south along the coasts, while from the Tweed southwards strong elements of the populations move south to the very productive feeding grounds of the Frisian Islands and Jutland coast, as shown by extensive smolt tagging in the 1950s and 1960s. Graph 6: Largest daily Sea-trout as recorded by the FishPal websites April - mid October 2012 & 2013 Frequency 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Weight of largest Sea-trout reported each day (lbs) Tweed Dee Tay Northumberland Tyne 22 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Sea-trout Collecting data on the effects of predation on juvenile Other features of the migrations that were Salmon, and on smolts in particular. (FMP INPUTS 2C.2, 3C.2) observed were: • In 2010, the successful smolts were significantly Acoustic Tracking of Smolts larger than those that failed to make it to the sea, The centrepiece of the Tweed Foundation’s work within the Living but in 2011 there was no such size difference North Sea programme was the downstream tracking of Sea-trout • There was more active swimming by smolts in 2010 smolts, trapped on the Yarrow Water in 2010 and 2011 and tagged with than in 2011 acoustic tags (“Pingers”). Until this was done, nothing at all was known • There were more delays by smolts in 2010 than in about how smolts migrated down the Tweed nor of their success rate – 2011 as shown by time spent near the ALS – but no other than those found in the stomachs of Goosanders and of large difference in the estuary Brown trout that had failed to make it to the sea. • There were significantly more delays in river sections with caulds than in those without in 2010 but not The work was undertaken as a Durham University PhD study by in 2011 Niall Gauld, supervised by Dr. Martyn Lucas, and assisted by Tweed • In 2010, the Murray Cauld at Philiphaugh apparently Foundation staff, RTC Water Bailiffs and various boatmen. Sea-trout caused a 44% decline in smolt survival in 2010 but smolts trapped at the Tinnis Fish Farm on the Yarrow Water were used; only a 9% drop in 2011 being larger than Salmon smolts, they were easier to handle as the tags were inserted surgically into their body cavities (a procedure carried An Automatic Listening Station (ALS) being downloaded out under Home Office licence). After release, a series of Automatic Listening Stations (ALS) placed along the course of the river recorded them as they moved downstream, supplemented by manual tracking with a hydrophone either from a boat or by wading. By chance there were very different water conditions for the two study seasons: in 2010, the spring was very dry, with no spates, while 2011 was normal, with several spates. The success rates of the smolts in getting to sea were also very different: in 2010 only eight of the 43 tagged fish got to the sea to be recorded by the ALS in the outer estuary, while 27 of the 60 tagged in 2011 made it. In 2010, seven of the smolts were regarded as having died in the river as their tags ceased to move and were found in the same places over several surveys, while only three did this in 2011. In 2010, 28 tags were regarded as having “left the river” in that they could not be found and 30 did this in 2011. By contrast, bare tags deposited in the river as tests could be found repeatedly and moved little over the period of the study. This points to the losses having been largely due to fish-eating birds as if smolts had been eaten by Brown trout their tags would have remained in the river. The fish that “died” could also have been unsuccessfully attacked by predators but wounded enough to die later. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 23

Fish Stocks: Sea-trout All these features point to downstream migration being significantly more difficult in a low flow spring than in one with more normal flows. Smolts have then to swim more actively to get downstream but are more delayed by obstacles and are more vulnerable to predators – and smaller individuals find it harder than larger. There is little comparable data from elsewhere but what there is shows that such high losses during downstream migration are not unusual. In management terms, such high and irreparable losses of smolts, the end-product of two to three years of freshwater life, are of very great significance, and quite possibly the single most important factor in determining the output of smolts from the river. As a footnote to this work, two of the tagged smolts were recorded on the River Tees, on ALS that were part of a separate study. Smolt No. 220 left the Tweed estuary at 09.25 hrs on the 10th May and reached the Tees at 23.42 hrs on the 24th May. Smolt No. 255 left the estuary at 20.07 hrs on the 9th May and reached the Tees at 10.13 hrs on the 27th May. The direct distance along the coast from the Tweed estuary to the Tees is 141kms, so smolt No. 220 travelled at a minimum speed of 2.48kms/hour and No. 255 at a minimum of 3.33 kms/hour. If they took a less direct route, they will have had to travel at faster speeds. There was some bonus information from the smolt tracking work: two of the acoustic-tagged Sea-trout smolts from the Tweed were detected at the listening stations of a project looking at fish passage on the Tees barrage at Middlesbrough. The barrage is about 20kms up the River Tees, showing how Sea-trout can explore other rivers and estuaries on their migration. Looking downstream through part of the Tees Barrage on the River Tees, Middlesbrough The tracking work has been published as Smolts tagged in the Yarrow Water waiting for return to the river Gauld, N.R., Campbell, R.N.B. & M. C. Lucas, 2013: Reduced flow impacts salmonid www.tweedfoundation.org.uk smolt emigration in a river with low-head weirs. Science of the Total Environment, vols 458-460, pp 435-443. 24

Fish Stocks: Sea-trout Analysis of the catch composition and trends of each scale reading and some of the latest results on Sea-trout have been of stock of Sea-trout. (FMP INPUT 3D) interest. To look at the stock composition of Tweed Sea-trout, scales are collected from throughout the catchment and there are now 3,587 sets Catch Trends in the scales database. The reading of the scales has not kept pace with their collection, but enough have been read for analyses to have started A fundamental aim of the Tweed Fisheries Management Plan is to find and an example is given in Graphs 7 and 8. out how the river “works” at this period in its history when both Salmon and Sea-trout numbers are at good levels, so that if they decline there The commonest sea age of Tweed Sea-trout is one-sea-winter (1SW), will be some chance of being able to see exactly where it is happening and if the sizes of these are compared between the Till and Fairnilee, and in what way the fish stocks have changed. This should then make it on the Upper Tweed, in Graph 9 it can be seen that there is a difference easier to identify the reason for any decline. Part of this work is analysing of about 10cms between their commonest sizes. The most obvious the composition of the catches in terms of their ages and sizes through explanation for this is one of timing: the Till fish come into their river in early summer, while Tweed Sea-trout return mainly from June to August and so have longer out at sea feeding. Graph 7: River Till : Run types and lengths of Sea-trout. Almost Percent of Sample 40 Spring Summer Autumn all spring and summer fish, in two age/size groups, one-sea- 35 winter (summer), and two-sea-winter (spring and summer) 30 Length Class (5cms) 25 20 Spring Summer Autumn 15 10 Length Class (5cms) 5 Till 1SW Fairnilee 1SW 0 Length (5cms) Graph 8: Fairnilee, Upper Tweed : Run types and lengths of Percent of Sample 40 Sea-trout. Almost no spring fish, and almost all one-sea- 35 winter (summer and autumn) 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Graph 9: Lengths of one-sea-winter summer fish on the River Percent Sample 50 Till and at Fairnilee 40 30 20 10 0 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 25

Fish Stocks: Brown trout Determining and defining the stocks of Brown trout within the Tweed system and their life histories, including investigation of growth patterns and size ranges, and establishing the structure of trout spawning populations on a representative sample of burns. Creating an inventory of the quantity and quality of habitat for Brown trout, and collection of data on, and analysis of, trends in rod catches. Estimation of exploitation rates and monitoring of adult Brown trout populations trends and characteristics. (FMP INPUTS 4A.2, 4A.4, 4B.3, 4D.2, 4F.1) Brown trout Scale Reading/Growth Patterns Whiteadder trout scale with no plus growth, April 2013 Over the last three years the Tweed Trout & Grayling Initiative (TTGI), with In fact, 2013’s late April and early May results were more similar to those help from some anglers on the River Whiteadder, has been collecting of scale samples from the middle of March 2012, indicating that active scale samples from Whiteadder trout to provide much-needed life history trout feeding started around six weeks later than it did in 2012. These data. One of the advantages of having this data is that it can help the results show just how significant a role temperature plays in both trout understanding of how variations in weather can have a big impact on development/behaviour and in angling catches. angling catches. Scales taken from Whiteadder Brown trout in April and early May 2013 showed that the prolonged cold start to the season, Sea-trout or Brown trout? which extended well into May, had a big impact on their feeding and behaviour. Comparison of scales from fish caught in March and April The origins of the trout fry in Tweed spawning burns 2012 with those from 2013, showed that the point at which the slower winter growth started to speed up into the faster summer growth was Following on from last year’s report, samples of trout fry continued to very different. From an angling point of view this change in growth rate be collected in 2013 as part of the work to map the areas of maternal is very significant as it results in a pronounced increase in feeding rates Brown trout and maternal Sea-trout spawning within test areas of the and makes trout “catchable” after a prolonged period of relative inactivity Tweed catchment using stable isotope ratios. During 2013, samples over the winter; the change in behaviour is driven by increased water were taken from trout spawning burns in the Teviot and Till systems. temperature and availability of food (fly hatches). The scale readings The Teviot samples were taken from its headwaters and from the Ale showed that only 31% of trout sampled in late April 2013 had the first Water to look at the influence of distance from the sea and the variation signs of faster growth, whereas they all did at this time in 2012. in Sea-trout and Brown trout utilisation of spawning burns within a single tributary. As one of The Foundation’s trout traps (used to study The Hazelhope Burn in the upper Teviot was sampled for the stable isotope study in 2013 26 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Brown trout trout spawning populations) is within the Ale catchment, this sampling Finding the sources of the Brown trout catches on Tweed was also used to monitor how representative the results of a single trap could be for a whole catchment. The Till sampling was well spread out Although most effort has been put into collecting scale samples from to look at fry origin variation within a Tweed tributary that is close to the the Whiteadder, they are collected from all over the Tweed system. As sea and has a known population dominated by Sea-trout eggs. well as showing growth rates and other life history information, the scales provide samples which can be used in genetics-based studies. Mapping the distribution of Sea-trout and Brown trout spawning One study that started in 2013 is to work out the male:female ratio of the within the Tweed system forms an important part of understanding Brown trout caught by anglers in different parts of the Tweed system by the relationship between the two, and of their relative contributions to having the sex genetically determined. Using scales as genetic samples the Tweed’s Brown trout catches. The results of the analysis of the 2012 allows us to gain information from large numbers of trout without samples have already provided some surprises, which have important having to kill them which is the only other reliable way to establish a implications on how the relationship between Brown trout and Sea- fish’s sex outside of the spawning period. There are now enough scale trout varies throughout the catchment. One is that it had always been samples to proceed with this genetic sex testing for a number of areas. assumed that the Leithen Water trout fry were the offspring of female Sea-trout due to the high abundances recorded (Sea-trout females Establishing the male:female ratio of the Brown trout caught in different have far more eggs than female Brown trout because they are bigger). parts of the Tweed catchment should give an indication of the type of However, it turns out that most of the fry in the Leithen appear to be the trout population which is producing them: the hypothesis is that if they offspring of female Brown trout. are largely coming from Sea-trout spawning, males will be greatly in excess of females, but if they emanate from Brown trout spawning, then Note: Stable Isotopes the sex ratio will be equal. The prediction is that smaller Brown trout will be found to be largely male but that larger fish will be equally male The proportion of Nitrogen and Carbon stable isotopes and female. If this proves to be correct, then it will show that the best in a trout can be measured and varies according to Brown trout are coming from what appear to be relatively rare Brown which environment, either sea or freshwater, the diet of trout spawning populations of the sort that can be detected in their a trout has come from. It also varies because much of home spawning burns by the stable isotope analysis, as described on the mass of a trout fry comes from the egg from which it the left. There is, therefore, a double-pronged approach to finding out hatched which, in turn, was developed inside its mother the origins of the Brown trout that Tweed anglers most want to catch. whilst feeding in one of these two environments. The Tweed Foundation is grateful to the Atlantic Salmon Trust and the Wild Trout Trust for their financial support of this study 14oz Whiteadder Brown trout www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 27

Fish Stocks: Brown trout Obstacles to Trout Toddle culvert on the Gala Water During the regular electro-fishing monitoring burns are occasionally found that have lower than expected trout numbers. These are listed for further investigation, usually a walk-over habitat survey and then, if necessary, a more detailed electro-fishing survey with numerous sites spread over the course of the burn. In the majority of cases investigated the reason for low numbers is an obstacle to fish movement preventing adult trout from accessing the burn at spawning time. Providing fish passage over these obstacles solves the problem, but it often proves tricky to implement: to have a fish pass professionally designed and installed is expensive. Whilst it is usually possible to secure funding for an obstacle on a large channel with miles of salmonid spawning above it, securing similar funding for one in a small burn that supports a mainly trout population and has only a small amount of water above it is much more difficult. As a result, the Foundation is in the process of learning the skills required to design and install fish “easements” on small obstacles within minor burns, which may reduce the cost of such works. An important part of this learning process was a visit to the Wye & Usk Foundation in December to find out how the trust had designed and installed various “easements” on obstacles in trout streams in their catchment. Rhiangoll easement, River Usk. The fish pass on the left gives adult trout the opportunity of ascending a structure that otherwise provided too high an obstacle, and denied access to many kilometres of habitat beyond it 28 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fish Stocks: Brown trout Collecting data on, and analysing, trends in the Juvenile Emigrants from Tweedsmuir, Upper Tweed rod catches of Brown trout. (FMP INPUT 4D) Each year, the young trout emigrating out of this burn in spring (March Establishing spawning targets for the Brown trout to May) are trapped for sampling, and are then released. They fall into of the Upper Tweed index tributary. (FMP INPUT 4F.1) two sizes/ages of trout: one year olds at around 80mm in length, and two year olds at around 120mm, giving two peaks in the length Brown trout Catches frequency of the emigrating fish. Sixty-one anglers submitted their 2013 catches via the log book scheme As the graph series shows, however, these two peaks in sizes are not the covering 501 fishing trips and 1,559 hours of angling effort. same each year. In fact there is an alternating pattern, with every second year the smaller, one year olds, being the majority (odd numbered Conditions in 2013 were far from ideal for fishing with a very cold spring years) while in the years between, one and two year olds form about followed by an unusually warm summer and autumn with prolonged equal proportions of the emigration (even numbered years). periods of low flows. As a result, the average catch rates for the Upper, Middle and Lower Tweed were well below the modern averages. The The most obvious explanation for this is competition between the two Whiteadder bucked this trend with above average catches which were age classes of trout. Essentially, there is not enough food and space in mostly as a result of a very good May and September. the burn for two full year classes, so when there is a large class of two year olds present, many one year olds cannot grow on in the burn and Catch records are received from other parts of the Tweed system but have to leave, as illustrated below. returns and records are fewer and likely to be influenced by time of year fished, methods used, angler bias, etc. Whilst small numbers of returns However, this would imply a similar number of emigrants each year, but are less likely to be representative of catches on a yearly basis, they can this has not been the case, with some years producing many more than still show trends in fish numbers over a longer time period as long as others, yet with the pattern remaining the same. This has been a very records continue to be kept. unexpected finding, with no parallel, apparently, elsewhere and cannot, at present, be properly explained. Investigations will continue. 25 2002 n=1389 25 20 2003 n=3974 15 10 20 5 PERCENT 0 PERCENT 15 10 50 25 5 20 80 110 140 170 200 230 0 80 110 140 170 200 230 2004 nL=E3N1G14TH 50 200L5EnN=G22T2H4 230 15 230 25 230 10 230 20 5 PERCENT PERCENT 15 0 50 10 25 5 20 15 80 110 140 170 200 230 0 80 110 140 170 200 10 LENGTH 50 20L0E7NnG=8T9H0 5 2006 n=1316 25 0 PERCENT PERCENT 20 50 15 25 10 20 5 15 80 110 140 170 200 230 0 80 110 140 170 200 10 50 LENGTH LENGTH 5 2008 n=546 25 2009 n=789 0 20 50 PERCENT PERCENT 15 25 20 10 15 10 5 5 80 110 140 170 200 230 0 80 110 140 170 200 0 LENGTH 50 LENGTH 50 2010 n=329 25 2011 n=655 20 PERCENT PERCENT 15 10 5 80 110 140 170 200 230 0 80 110 140 170 200 50 LENGTH LENGTH Graph 10: How the lengths of Tweedsmuir trout emigrants varied from 2002-2011 n= number of fish in each year www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 29

Fish Stocks: Other Species Monitoring and analysing catches of Grayling. Surveying the distribution of Lamprey larvae. (FMP INPUT 5D) (FMP INPUT 7C.1) Grayling Lamprey The annual Earlston Catch and Release Grayling competition was held In 2013 a survey was made of the larval Lamprey populations in the on the 12th January on the Middle Tweed, with the Earlston Angling Till catchment and on the English sections of the lower Tweed and Association kindly supplying the catch returns to the Foundation to Whiteadder, as a follow up to previous surveys made in 2002 and 2004. enable the Grayling stocks to be monitored. Catch rates in 2013 were The Tweed and Tweed Estuary Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) the highest on record, and showed just how naturally variable Grayling both have Lamprey as one of their “qualifying features” and Natural numbers can be: the previous year’s competition results were quite England commissioned this survey for one of their periodic reports on poor even though the angling conditions were good! the Tweed Estuary SAC. As one of the Foundation’s three yearly surveys of juvenile salmonids was also being made on the Till this year, a formal The 2013 average catch rate being the highest on record was Lamprey survey procedure was added to the usual salmonid sampling dominated by Grayling in the 25cm to 35cm (tip length) size range in to provide data on Lamprey larvae at these survey sites. The River Tweed a way that has not been seen before. These fish were still, just, one year Commission has a legal responsibility for all freshwater fish species, and old (they would turn two years old in April), and were the first Grayling so this work on Lamprey will be included with future salmonid surveys spawned after two very cold winters with prolonged low flows. The to provide it with the best information. Lamprey surveys are typically catches of fish over 35cm (a mixture of several age classes) were actually made of more lowland areas where there is more silt, but these then not very good, given the overall catch: all of these older Grayling had miss out on the interesting “hill” populations of Lampreys that can be lived through at least one of the two harsh winters, depending on found in the smaller, upland streams which are covered by salmonid their age. Grayling numbers naturally fluctuate as they are vulnerable surveys. Some of these hill burn populations in the Till catchment now to variations in temperature and flows, and it would appear that these have a recorded history of 20 years since their first sampling in 1993 two harsh winters resulted in, or coincided with, a significant drop in (Atton Burn, Reavely Burn, Bradford Burn and Halter Burn). The Teviot Grayling numbers followed by a quite dramatic recovery as a result of salmonid sites were also sampled for Lamprey in 2013. The larvae of the very high survival of the juvenile fish coming through (due to space River and Brook Lamprey cannot be told apart without dissection, but left by the “missing” fish). It would also appear that despite the drop in whether of one species or the other they are widespread and abundant adult numbers there were still more than enough females to stock the throughout the catchment: a sign of good water quality. Tweed with very high juvenile numbers. As such, the drop in numbers over the last few years can be regarded as having been significant but Lamprey larvae often share their silty habitat with nymphs of the “true” without a long-term effect. This case history shows the value of long- Mayfly, Ephemera danica which, when full grown are actually a similar term monitoring of catches. size to Lamprey larvae in their first year, as shown in the photo from Kilham on the River Glen. Sampling for Lamprey therefore also means finding these important Mayfly, so their presence is recorded for the National Ephemeroptera Recording scheme as well. Lamprey fry and Ephemera danica at Kilham, Bowmont Water 30 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Biosecurity Surveying and monitoring the distribution of non-native American Signal Crayfish species. (FMP INPUT 9.1.1) Although the Tweed Foundation does not have an active monitoring Bullheads programme for Signal Crayfish using traps, we continue to maintain records on their known distribution within the Tweed and Eye District, A programme has been started to monitor the impacts of the Bullhead as shown on Map 1. This is a combination of past trapping records and on the Langton Burn (on the Ale Water, by Ashkirk). By chance, there is reported sightings or captures by the general public. It is only 10 years pre-Bullhead data on juvenile Salmon and trout numbers here as there ago that the first confirmed presence of Signal Crayfish was made on is a bankside fencing pilot area that was being monitored for changes in the upper Ettrick Water. Since then, established populations have been relation to increased bankside vegetation. These samples will now form confirmed in the upper Kale Water, River Till and Eye Water. They are the baseline against which any impacts of Bullhead can be assessed. present in a pond in the Whiteadder catchment that is not connected There is conflicting information in the scientific literature on the impact to the river and we are yet to confirm whether the Leithen Water of Bullheads: some studies finding serious effects and others, minimal population is self-sustaining. impact. There are, however, case histories from both the Clyde and Forth areas for Bullheads to reach very high densities and completely The main strategy for biosecurity is to prevent Signal Crayfish getting replace juvenile trout, hence the concern. above obstructions that they find impassable. Examples include the Gala catchment above the Skinworks Cauld in Galashiels or the series of caulds in Jedburgh. Both catchments have fish passes that allow adult salmonid migration but should prevent Signal Crayfish movement. To reduce the likelihood of their spread or the introduction of new invasives, stocking applications have to be made to the River Tweed Commission for the movement and introduction of live fish. Tweed Foundation staff also follow a code of good practice when surveying in affected catchments. Without any means of effective control in flowing water, the river populations of Signal Crayfish will continue to expand their distribution downstream and upstream as far as any impassable obstructions. An adult Bullhead Map 1: Catchments known to have American Signal Crayfish within them, in the Tweed District. This does not however indicate that Crayfish are 31 found everywhere in each catchment. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Websites Tweed on the Web Tweed YouTube Channel www.tweedfoundation.org.uk www.youtube.com/tweedfoundation Information, reports, the Tweed Fisheries Management Plan, seminar alerts, Auction brochures, and Part of the collection of short films viewable......... • How to collect scale samples scientific papers on The Tweed Foundation’s work. from Brown Trout www.ttgi.org.uk • Tweed Fish Counters - how we use the data for management Information on the Tweed Trout & Grayling Initiative (TTGI). Newsletters, current studies being undertaken, Log Book • Tweed Sea-trout at sea downloads and more. • Electro-fishing on the Lilburn, Till catchment www.tweedstart.org.uk Information on the TweedStart project - introducing all ages and social backgrounds (with a special emphasis on children and young people) to fly fishing, entomology and general river conservation on Tweed. www.rtc.org.uk The River Tweed Commission’s website. Features Angling Codes, Annual Reports and other legislative information relating to the River. www.rivertweed.org.uk Features all types of News pieces from the River Tweed, information/advice, and a biology Blog. • Fish Migration on the Gala Tweedline Water Tweedline telephone numbers: • Reading fish scales • Pre-spawning Grayling Daily River Levels 09060 400 411 Calls cost £1.53 per minute from a BT Landline (other network and mobile costs may vary). Profits from your call will go to the Tweed Foundation in support of its work to help preserve Tweed fish stocks. Service provided by the Tweed Foundation at Drygrange Steading, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DJ. 32 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Accounts The Tweed Foundation Limited (A charitable company limited by guarantee) Statement of Financial Activities For the year ended 31 December 2013 Unrestricted Restricted 2013 Total 2012 Total Funds £ Funds £ £ £ Incoming resources Incoming resources from generating funds: Voluntary income 162,379 - 162,379 173,328 Investment income 11,316 - 11,316 12,106 Incoming resources from charitable activities 47,172 31,108 78,280 102,914 Total incoming resources 220,867 31,108 251,975 288,348 Resources expended 4,223 35 4,258 5,506 Costs of generation funds: 1,046 - 1,046 857 254,513 272,711 Cost of generating voluntary income 259,782 18,198 278,015 285,168 Investment management costs 18,233 291,531 Charitable activities Total resources expended Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for (38,915) 12,875 (26,040) (3,183) the year 14,029 - 14,029 (1,067) (4,250) Realised gains/(Losses) on disposal of invest- (24,886) 12,875 (12,011) ment assets Net Income/(Expenditure) for the year Other recognised gains and losses 37,650 - 37,650 30,938 Gains on revaluation of investment assets 12,764 12,875 25,639 26,688 601,233 624,214 590,653 Net movement in funds 22,981 Total funds brought forward - - - 6,873 601,233 624,214 597,526 Prior year adjustment 613,997 22,981 649,853 624,214 Restated total funds brought forward 35,856 Total funds carried forward Extract from the 2013 Accounts The financial information set out on this page has been extracted from The Tweed Foundation Limited’s full audited accounts, on which the auditors, Rennie Welch, reported without qualification. Further financial information can be found on The Tweed Foundation’s website at www.tweedfoundation.org.uk Copies of the full audited accounts are available upon request. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 33

Trustees & Staff As at May 2014 The Tweed Foundation Foundation Staff Drygrange Steading, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DJ Nicholas P Yonge (Director) Tel: (01896) 848271 Fax: (01896) 848277 Dr Ronald N B Campbell (Biologist) Email: [email protected] Fay B L Hieatt (Company Secretary/Administrator) Web: www.tweedfoundation.org.uk James H Hunt (Assistant Biologist) Company No. SC366380 Kenneth A Galt (Trout & Grayling Biologist) Registered Charity No. SC011055 Principal Bankers Trustees The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Douglas J Dobie (Chairman) 6 The Square, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7HG J C (Ian) Currie Lord Joicey Auditors Jennifer J Lovett (Treasurer) Richard J Onslow Rennie Welch The Duke of Roxburghe Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors John P H S Scott Academy House, Shedden Park Road, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7AL The Duchess of Sutherland W Allan Virtue Fund Managers Professor Roger J Wheater Douglas H Younger Cazenove Capital Management Limited Edinburgh Quay, 133 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, EH3 9QG Acknowledgements The Tweed Foundation’s work is part-financed by: RIVER TWEED COMMISSION In the middle of 2009, The Tweed Foundation began a major new study on Tweed's Sea-trout stocks, under the title “Living North Sea”. This is a pan-northern European project comprising 11 other scientific research partners from Scotland, England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. With these partners to the programme, it is hoped to identify the mixed-stock fisheries around the southern North Sea that exploit Tweed Sea-trout as well as confirm and extend knowledge of the marine feeding grounds that they utilise. The long-term aim of the Living North Sea’s work is to set up a North Sea Sea-trout group that can oversee the management of the species in the North Sea. The netting and tagging work currently carried out at Paxton netting station forms part of the Tweed Foundation's study within the  “Living North Sea” project, as does its tagging work with smolts, scale reading of Sea- trout scales, and electro-fishing studies. In addition, The Tweed Foundation is very grateful to Tweed fishery proprietors, the local Angling Associations, and many others for their financial assistance with our studies. 34 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Membership Friends of The Tweed Foundation As a charitable trust, The Tweed Foundation relies on the support and generosity of many organisations and individuals to help fund its work. If you would like to help The Foundation, or make a donation, please fill in the form below, or contact us. Your Details Friends of The Tweed Foundation Name: I enclose a cheque, payable to The Tweed Foundation, Address: made up as follows: Ordinary Annual Friendship £ 15 Joint Annual Friendship £ 23 Ordinary Life Friendship £ 250 Postcode: Donation £ Tel: Mobile: TOTAL CHEQUE £ Email: The Tweed Foundation also has a Benefactor Scheme. Further information about this category of membership is available on request. Standing Order Mandate If you would like to pay future subscriptions as a Friend of The Tweed Foundation by Standing Order, please complete the following: Name: [Please Print] To: [Bank Name] Of: [Full Address] Please pay: [Enter relevant membership fee in words] pounds to The Tweed Foundation (Sort Code 83-23-18, Account No. 00275893) on the 15th January [enter year] and each year thereafter until further notice. Signed: Dated: Account Name or Number: Sort Code: Please send to: The Tweed Foundation, Drygrange Steading, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DJ www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 35

Donations & Gift Aid Please Support Our Work By Making A Donation Complete for all Donations I would like The Tweed Foundation [Registered Charity No. SC011055] to treat all donations made since 6th April 2000, and all further donations made from the date of this declaration, as Gift Aid until I notify you otherwise. Please note that Gift Aid can only be claimed on payments made from your personal funds. Funds from limited companies, associations and other charities are not eligible. Your Details Please tell us if: You change your name or address while the Surname: declaration is in force Forename: You no longer pay tax on your income or capital gains Title: tax equal to the tax the charity claims Address: If you wish to cancel your declaration at any time. All subsequent donations from the date of cancellation Postcode will be deemed as non gift-aided Tel: Mobile: Note: Email: If you pay tax at the higher rate, you can claim further tax relief in your Self Assessment tax return Keep a copy of this form for your tax affairs and your own record The Tweed Foundation will benefit from tax recovery Signature: Date: I would like to donate the sum of £ As a Gift Aid Donation to The Tweed Foundation (Cheque/cash enclosed. Only complete if you wish to make a one-off donation) For Making Annual Donations by Standing Order – Please complete this section To The Manager: Please Credit Bank/Building Soc: Address: The Tweed Foundation The Royal Bank of Scotland plc 7 The Square, Kelso, TD5 7HG Account No: 00275893 Sort Code: 83-23-18 With the sum of £ (pounds) Postcode: as a Gift Aid Donation Account No: On the (day) Sort Code: of (month) 20 (year) And the same day each year onwards In all cases, please return this form to: The Tweed Foundation, Drygrange Steading, Melrose, TD6 9DJ 36 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk



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