Tweed Foundation Annual Report 2022

The Tweed Foundation 2022 Annual Report

Contents Foreword 3 Goodbye Patrick! 4 Recording the Temperature Extremes of 2022 5 Preliminary Results on the Effects of Freshets on Water Temperature in 2022 8 Fry and Parr : Monitoring Juvenile Stocks 11 Adult Salmon : Fish Counters 15 Developing the Gala Water as a Monitored River : The Story Continues 20 Salmon : Smolt Tracking Project 22 Bird Predation : Assessing their impact on the Tweed Fishery 24 Lower Tweed Trout Tracking 29 Brown Trout and Grayling : Catches 33 Education 34 Map of the Tweed Catchment 39 Trustees and Staff 40 Accounts 41 Aims and Objectives for 2022 42 Find us on Social Media 44 Our Services 44 Support 45 Published June 2023. © The Tweed Foundation. Front Cover: Setting up a temperature logger to monitor freshets. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 1

2 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Foreword As Tweeds anglers and biologists struggled through the record-breaking heatwave and low river flows, the summer of 2022 will live long in our memories for all the wrong reasons! The 2022 fishing season proved to be a challenge but, despite the poor conditions, more salmon ran the Tweed in 2022 than in 2021, with some lower and upper beats returning catches above the five-year average. Most of the middle river was not so lucky! Thankfully we were not restricted by Covid 19 in the Spring of 2022 and blessed with good water conditions in March and April, but low rain fall lead to reduced water flows from May to September, resulting in large pods of fish concentrating in the lower river. By mid-August the whole Tweed was classified as being in ‘significant water scarcity’, with the RTC calling on SEPA to end licensed water abstraction in the catchment, the first time that this has happened. The summer of 2022 was the hottest ever recorded for the UK, with Scotland recording its highest air temperature of 35.1°C at Floors Castle. Combined with the low river flows , water temperatures exceeded 24°C in some places. Although there were no reports of deaths, fish were obviously stressed.  Finding out that the Lower Tweed exceeded 23°C degrees for a total of 81 hours is significant as some studies have suggested that catching salmon at temperatures above 18°C increases the chance of post-release mortality. While anglers showed respect and constraint, following advice from the Foundation, the RTC issued advice to stop fishing on some of the hottest days to minimise further stress or mortality to fish. The latest data shows that 15 of the UK’s top 20 warmest years on record have all occurred this century - with the entire top 10 within the past two decades. As global warming is expected to increase air temperatures and decrease summer rainfall, summer water temperatures are more likely to become an issue for fish health and survival. The RTC and Foundation are renewing their focus on a better understanding of the water environment to optimise the water habitat for young salmon and other fish throughout the catchment. The data from the Scottish Temperature Monitoring Network, combined with our increasing understanding of the effects from reservoir released freshets will be utilised to develop a catchment climate resilience strategy. One way we can begin to combat climate related challenges throughout the Tweed district is to increase riparian planting and wetlands, helping to shade the river and maintain flow rates. We have already made a small start – RTC and Foundation staff have planted around 4,000 willow whips to further protect 1.2 kilometres of banks already improved following livestock exclusion in the 1990s. A long-term strategy to moderate water temperatures in the face of the extreme summer air temperatures expected over the course of the 21st century is being formed by our new Climate Resilience Committee. This will be implemented in conjunction with our catchment partners, the Tweed Forum, a number of government agencies from both sides of the border and many proprietors and other stakeholders. We hope it will also be supported by the Scottish Government’s forthcoming environmental support mechanism for the agricultural sector in line with the implementation of its Wild Salmon Strategy – in itself the most positive statement of support for wild salmon to come out of government in many years. In addition to the annual monitoring programme, the RTC Fishery Officers continued to support the Foundation by helping to deliver the Tweed smolt tracking project, the adult exploitation work carried out at the Paxton Trust netting station and monitoring the studies on piscivorous birds (goosanders and cormorants). While the tracking project has provided new insights into the movements and possible predation of Tweed smolts and their survival down the river, we still have a lot of work to carry out before we can better understand the potential impact on the fishery. In 2022 we have developed our own capability to collect biometric data (age, sex etc) on birds that are shot under licence and process their stomach contents ready for analysis. Our next step is to receive training and third-party supervision to maintain an element of quality control in our analysis. The reputation of the River Tweed as a fishery for both wild brown trout and grayling is growing year on year.  With help from anglers and volunteers, the Tweed Foundation gathers the relevant information required to advise angling clubs and associations on the best management of their association waters to keep the Tweed’s brown trout and grayling populations healthy. This encompasses a variety of different monitoring methods. With each method providing valuable data, this then forms the basis on which management advice can be given. With generous sponsorship from Coldstream Angling Association and Kelso Angling Association, 20 Lower Tweed trout were captured by rod and line between Sprouston and the mouth of the Till in 2022. Findings from a previous study showed that trout that reside in the main stem of the Tweed in Peeblesshire TFA waters are critical to maintaining Upper Tweed juvenile trout populations. However, what is significant is that the tributaries in the Upper Tweed such as Stanhope also contribute to the mixed trout fisheries from Boleside to Sprouston. With the further support from Pebblesshire TFA , Coldstream and Kelso AA, we plan to expand on this work in 2023. All of this is built on the effort and high-quality work of Team Tweed – the Foundation biologists, RTC’s fishery officers and administrative support. The team recently added a communications officer in Anne Woodcock, so that we can better tell the world of all this good work (and hopefully improve the Foundation’s fundraising). It is a great privilege to work with this team; they are all determined to maintain the Tweed as a successful fishery and to conserve its fish stocks in the face of very considerable challenges. On a sad note, we said goodbye to our Education Officer Patrick Barbour as he sets off to join the ranks of Scotland’s Primary school teachers. Patrick has been the unsung hero in developing material for the school curriculum, running our in-schools and outdoor events and developing our wonderful new educational facility, The Ian Gregg River Academy.  A well-respected biologist, educator, and angler, I do hope we have not seen the last of Patrick on Tweed!  Trustee Douglas Younger also retired after many years of diligent service, we are thankful for his longstanding support and encouragement. Jamie Stewart Director www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 3 3

Goodbye Patrick! Continuing our succession of changes in staff at The Tweed Foundation, our education officer, Patrick Barbour, has now decided to pursue his passion for educating children by training to become a primary school teacher. Since graduating from Stirling University, we have managed to slowly curb Patrick’s wanderlust and set roots in the Borders. When Patrick first visited the Tweed to watch the tagging of adult salmon in the estuary, little did he know that he would one day be working on the Tweed. Patrick first started off helping out the biology team with their field work and data analysis but over time he has moved into a full-time education roll. Working with a number of schools in the Tweed District, Patrick has delivered Eel and Trout in The Classroom initiatives where children learn about the fish that they keep in an aquarium before releasing them back into the wild. Creating stop motion videos has been a particularly entertaining way for children to learn about the fish of the Tweed. There have also been numerous larger events that Patrick has Patrick cooling down in the summer heatwave in July 2022. helped to run, including the Border Union Show & kids day, Glendale Show and Bioblitz events. Behind the scenes, Patrick has been the unsung hero in developing material for the River Tweed website and school curriculum. Patrick has been an invaluable extra pair of hands for summer field work and for general assistance when office staff are stretched. In his spare time, Patrick is well known on the Borders tennis circuit, playing many evenings over the summer months. Rugby is another of Patrick’s sports and passions, playing for Earlston and more recently, Aberfeldy. In the last couple of years, Patrick has helped to overhaul our visitor room into a 21st century education facility, now appropriately named ‘The Ian Gregg River Academy’ (Ian Gregg was a founding father of The Tweed Foundation). Along with our connections now established with schools in the Borders region, Patrick has left a firm base for the next education officer to build on. Find out about The Ian Gregg River Academy Delivering an education session during COVID. 4 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Recording the Temperature Extremes of 2022 Rationale: Water temperature can positively and negatively affect fish at every life stage. Above 23°C, trout and salmon stop growing and initiate high temperature avoidance behavioural strategies. At 28-30°C for durations greater than one hour, death is likely to occur. The summer of 2022 was the hottest ever recorded for the U.K., with Scotland recording its highest air temperature of 35.1°C at Floors Castle. Thankfully no fish deaths were reported due to heat stress this year. According to the Met Office1: “In 50 years’ time, by 2070 we project: Winter will be between 1 and 4.5°C warmer and up to 30% wetter Summer will be between 1 and 6°C warmer and up to 60% drier” This means that the negative effects associated with high temperature and climate change will be amplified over the next 50 years with heat waves similar to 2018, 2021, and 2022 becoming ‘the new normal’. A recent study for a northern river in Scotland has shown that increased water temperature can negatively affect salmon fry density and biomass with increased duration of temperatures exceeding 23°C2. It is unclear from the study whether the fry died or migrated downstream, but it does show that temperature can affect fry numbers and biomass, going largely unnoticed when assessing juvenile populations. The Scottish River Temperature Monitoring Network (SRTMN) and the Tweed Freshet Monitoring Network (TFMN), consisting of 48 temperature loggers in the Tweed catchment, recorded water temperatures in 2022 that exceeded 23°C for multiple hours across the Tweed District (Figure 1). The locations and times of 23°C temperature exceedance are; upper reaches of the Leader – 1 hour, upper Gala – 11 hours, main stem of the Teviot – 32 hours, Middle Tweed – 35 hours, and Lower Tweed – 81 hours. These temperatures and durations are likely to have severely stressed juvenile and adult salmon and trout, leading to reduced growth, and increased migration, disease and maybe even death (although no fish deaths were reported). Finding out that the Lower Tweed exceeded 23°C degrees for a total of 81 hours is significant as some studies have suggested that catching salmon at temperatures above 18 °C, increases the chance of post-release mortality. This has now translated into some Salmon Boards across Scotland strongly advising that the river should close when the water temperature exceeds 18 °C. For the Tweed, following this guidance would mean in 2022 the Leader Water would be closed for a cumulative time of 5 days, Teviot for 7 days, Upper Tweed for 8 days, Middle Tweed for 34 days, and 51 days for the Lower Tweed; the effect of such a measure would therefore be greatest on the main river where the primary fisheries are located. According to the latest research, river water temperature is strongly associated with water volume and flow rate. Increased flow rate reduces water temperature as it reduces the time that water gets heated up in the river before reaching the sea. Water temperature is also more stable with a higher volume of water, meaning it is slower to warm up and cool down. This means that air temperature has a significant influence on river temperature, during periods of low flow with potentially higher temperatures being reached during drought periods. In the second week of August the Tweed was officially declared to be in a drought by SEPA, with water abstraction from the river curtailed. While this is of concern, looking at the historical flow data from Sprouston gauging station (Figure 2), the 2022 flow rate was the 8th lowest on record since 1969, with the lowest being in 1995. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 10th lowest were between 1972-1977, exacerbated by poor winter rainfall leading to a depleted groundwater supply. During this decade the dams for Megget and St. Mary’s were being built and were completed in the 1980’s. Other dams in the catchment were already in place before 1969. Stantling Craig was built in the late 1800’s. The construction of Talla started in the 1890’s and was completed in 1905. Alemore loch was built and opened in the 1960s and the Watch Water was completed in 1954. The construction of the Whiteadder Reservoir took place between 1964 and 1969. Fruid dam was completed in 1968. 1 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate-change/effects-of-climate-change 5 2 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.15282?af=R www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Recording the Temperature Extremes of 2022 Figure 1. The highest recorded temperatures (°C) in 2022 by each water temperature logger from the SRTMN and TFMN. Figure 2. The lowest recorded flow rates each year since 1969 at the Sprouston gauging station. Orange marks the 10 lowest flow years on record. Blue is the rest of the years. 6 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Recording the Temperature Extremes of 2022 With record air temperatures recorded in the Tweed District (35.1°C), it is surprising that there were no reported fish deaths. Using our air and water temperature logger data for freshet monitoring (TFMN), we can predict what air temperature would be required to raise Tweed water temperature to lethal levels. This can be done by comparing the maximum daily water temperatures at each SEPA flow gauging station along the main stem of the Tweed (Grenbreck, Kingledores, Lyne Station, Peebles, Boleside and Norham) to its retrospective air temperature. A linear regression analysis was then used to understand the daily maximum water and temperature relationship and predict what air temperatures would be needed to reach lethal limits (Figure 3). Figure 3. Blue line is the trend line of the air and water temperature relationship for the main stem of the Tweed. The light blue area around it is the 95% confidence limit. Small grey dots are the recorded values from the six sites. The vertical black dotted line is the temperature recorded at Floors Castle (35.1°C). To the right of the vertical dotted line is the predicted air and water temperature relationship. The red horizontal line marks the lethal limit for salmon and the dashed horizontal line marks the lethal limit for trout. The green circle marks the air temperature of 37.2°C to reach the lethal water temperature for trout and orange circle marks the air temperature of 40.5°C to reach the lethal water temperature for salmon. With the flow rates and conditions last year, it would have taken a minimum air temperature of 40.5°C for salmon and 37.2°C for trout to reach lethal temperatures. However, if water levels were to drop to those of the 1970’s or worse, in theory air temperatures lower than 40.5°C air temperature would lead to Tweed water temperatures exceeding the lethal limits but would need to be sustained for greater than one hour. To conclude, the main stem of the Tweed did not reach lethal limits, possibly due to sustained water flow through compensation releases from reservoirs and this is currently being investigated with a network of temperature loggers (reported on in the next section). However, if climate change does indeed make our summers hotter and dryer, which is very likely, and water scarcity is not managed properly through active management measures, it is likely that water temperatures above 23°C will become more frequent, with localised areas being closer to the lethal limit. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 7

Preliminary Results on the Effects of Freshets on Water Temperature in 2022 Rationale: The periodic release of extra water from reservoirs in the Tweed District has long been considered a useful tool for helping to manage flows and river temperature but to-date this has lacked empirical data. Water temperature and flow data is now being collected to assess the benefit of freshet releases and, if required, recommend alternative flow regimes that will be more beneficial to local fish populations. As global warming is expected to increase air temperatures and decrease summer rainfall, summer water temperatures are more likely to become an issue for fish health and survival. The best way to combat these effects throughout the Tweed district is to increase riparian planting and wetlands, helping to shade the river and maintain flow rates. The latest statistical modelling by Marine Scotland Science predicts that increasing riparian tree cover for all of the watercourses in the Tweed catchment could reduce water temperatures by 2.6°C. However, it is going to take decades to plant enough trees at a large enough spatial scale to have a significant shading effect. As riparian trees will not reduce summer water temperatures in the immediate future, freshets3 from reservoirs (a legal requirement for reservoirs to periodically release extra water) are one possibility for reducing temperature increases quickly (within a day) in the main river. To date, data has not been collected to demonstrate whether they are a useful management tool. Water temperature in rivers is linked to hydrological factors such as rainfall, flowrate, groundwater, geology, altitude, watershed size and land use. One of the most important hydrological factors is flow rate, which is linked to water volume. By increasing water volume, the river has greater resistance to changes in air temperature. With increased flow rates, water can discharge out the river catchment before it has the chance to warm up. In addition to these factors, if the water from the reservoirs is cooler than the river, it is possible that a freshet could replace warm water with cooler water. It is also conceivable that freshet water may be warmer than the river downstream, particularly if water near the surface of the reservoir is used for the freshet. As water temperature is predominately linked to air temperature, the other possibility is that freshets may have no effect at all. SEPA can decide to release a freshet based on factors such as low flows, water temperatures greater than 24°C, pH greater than 9, weather forecasts and soil moisture content. However, there is little evidence to show what benefits a freshet has on water temperatures and how this can affect salmon and trout directly downstream of the reservoirs (main stem of the Tweed, Lyne, Yarrow and Whiteadder, with a few sections of the Fruid, West, Watch, Dye and Ettrick). Given the extent of river channel potentially affected by freshets, a considerable proportion of the Tweed’s Atlantic salmon, brown trout and grayling adult stocks could potentially benefit from this management strategy. The priority of this study is to understand whether the current operational practices of SEPA and Scottish Water for freshets are an effective management tool for cooling the main stem of the Tweed. Study Design The Tweed Freshet Monitoring Network (TFMN) consists of ten water loggers (Tinytag, Aquatic 2) and nine air temperature loggers (Tinytag, Talk 2) located downstream of reservoirs. Five of the loggers are next to SEPA flow gauging stations, which are used to correlate the time of arrival and passing of freshets. The other five loggers are directly downstream of the Baddinsgill (water only), Fruid and Talla (air & water) reservoirs (Figure 4)4. Temperature loggers take a temperature reading every 15 minutes to match the SEPA gauging stations recording interval. All the loggers have a sun shield to ensure they are not measuring the temperature of solar radiation. Air temperature loggers are attached to the gauging stations or to a nearby tree 10-50m from the water temperature loggers. Water temperature loggers were placed in flowing water with 30cm of water covering the logger at time of deployment. 3 Traditionally a freshet is a sudden increase in flow rate within a river, usually created by heavy rain, snow or ice melt. In today’s vocabulary, a freshet is normally considered to be a large release of water from a reservoir to simulate a natural freshet (freshets hereinafter will refer to a large release of water from reservoirs). 4 We did not look at the effects of the freshets at Sprouston or Norham as there was no detectable water level rise at the SEPA flow gauging stations. We can however hypothesize that the effects of Sprouston and Norham will be less than there are at Boleside. 8 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Preliminary Results on the Effects of Freshets on Water Temperature in 2022 Freshets were scheduled to be released from Fruid and Baddinsgill / West Water every week from the 6th of April to the 28th of September 2022. Freshets from Whiteadder and St Mary’s Loch were released as and when necessary. For the hottest two days (18-19th of July 2022), freshets were released from all appropriate reservoirs (Table 1). Table 1. Freshet releases for the hottest week in July Source Quantity Quantity Commencing Duration Million gallons m3/day Hour Day Date (hours) Fruid 15 68,182 0930 Monday 18/07/22 24 Baddinsgill / West Water 3 13,640 0900 Tuesday 19/07/22 24 Whiteadder 20 90,922 1100 Monday 18/07/22 24 St Mary’s Loch 35.2 160,000 1600 Monday 18/07/22 24 Analysis To see whether freshets were effective at cooling the river we compared the river temperatures of the freshet flow (termed ‘freshet’) to a normal day’s flow (termed ‘normal’) on the main stem of the Tweed between the 11th June and 1st October 2022. A normal day’s flow will be influenced by varying contributions of ground water, rainwater, and reservoir compensation water. A freshet flow will have the same factors plus the additional freshet water. We also investigated how flow rate and air temperature differed between sites and the day of the year affected the temperatures for a freshet and normal day. Figure 1. Locations of the air and water temperature loggers for the TFMN. 9 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Preliminary Results on the Effects of Freshets on Water Temperature in 2022 Initial Results Contrary to what we would expect, the water temperature at Kingledores, Lyne, Peebles and Boleside was on average 0.22°C warmer than on days where there were no freshets. Water temperatures between freshets and normal days at the first logger downstream of Fruid (Kingledores) showed the greatest increase of 0.46°C, and the logger at Peebles showing the least amount of difference (0.035°C)5. However, air temperature during freshets was also warmer, in part due to rainfall on normal days, which makes it harder to draw any firm conclusions at present. Increased water volume (either from a freshet or rainfall) led to a decrease in water temperature (Figure 2A). Despite freshets increasing flow rate, the volume of water that was released was not sufficient to cool the river. As expected, an increase in air temperature leads to an increase in water temperature, for both a freshet and normal days flow. However, as the rate of increase is lower for freshets, above 17.5°C the corresponding water temperature will be higher on normal days without a freshet (Figure 2B). The management possibility is that by only releasing freshets on days with air temperature greater than 17.5°C, freshets would have the greatest effect of cooling the Tweed. However, most freshets were released when air temperatures were below 17.5°C, possibly contributing to them being warmer than a normal day. In addition to this, the water coming out of Fruid Reservoir was on average warmer than the main stem of the Tweed, except on the warmest periods and on the hottest days. Figure 2A shows the water temperature and flow rate relationship for a freshet (red line) and a normal day (blue line). Grey area around the lines is the 95% confidence intervals. Figure 2B. shows the air and water temperature relationship for a freshet (red line) and a normal day (blue line).The vertical black hashed line is the tipping point of 17.5°C. To conclude, the preliminary study shows that water temperatures during freshets in 2022 were marginally warmer than normal days flows (with rainfall included). As the analysis included normal days where flows were influenced by rainfall it is likely that we will rerun the analysis to study the effect of rainfall on water temperature. Under the current normal working practices of SEPA and Scottish Water, freshets do not appear to be an effective management tool for cooling the main stem of the Tweed except during exceptionally warm periods. At the very least it shows that there will not be a detectable decrease in water temperature in the middle and lower river. While another year of analysis needs to be carried out with more data loggers installed (including all reservoirs in the Tweed District), we can now start thinking about whether freshets can be made more effective in regards to their timing and volume of water release from the reservoir. To do that we will continue to progress discussions with SEPA and Scottish Water, with temperature loggers installed in the Fruid reservoir near the outlet to see whether the position in the water column is an important factor to consider when releasing water from the reservoir. 5 The Boleside gauge is below the confluence with the Ettrick and therefore also affected by freshets from Megget Reservoir. 10 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fry and Parr : Monitoring Juvenile Stocks Rationale: The juvenile salmon and trout of the Tweed catchment have been systematically monitored by electric-fishing since 1988, providing a long series of records that can show any population trends or sudden changes. National Electro-fishing Programme Scotland Sampling a tributary of the Jed Water. Although not a work activity for 2022, at long last results have been published for electro-fishing work carried out in 2021 as part of the National Electro-fishing Programme Scotland (NEPS)6. The Tweed Foundation has participated in the sampling programme in 2018, 2019 and 2021, along with other Trusts and Boards to provide a comprehensive assessment of juvenile salmon stocks in Scotland. Carrying out an assessment of this nature has been extremely challenging; the starting point was the development of a sample design methodology and method of analysis that allows results to be compared between different areas of Scotland without any biases. With these methods in place, for each year of surveying there is then the logistical challenge of organising Trusts and Boards to collect the data in a consistent format to agreed standards, using a common system of data entry. Data must then be validated before analysis outputs can be generated. Unfortunately funding is another challenge as NEPS is currently not a fixed budget expenditure item for Scottish Government; the total cost for a Scotland wide assessment exceeds £300,000, with a payment made to each Trust or Board for their time to collect the samples. The starting point for NEPS is a method to determine where sites are located. Traditional sampling has focussed on productive habitat and sites are typically chosen for ease of access. The NEPS method is based on a randomised method of site selection7 for thirty sites in each survey area (the Tweed District in our case) which means that a range of habitats are covered. Whilst this method is statistically correct, the drawback is that with a sample size of 30 sites per year, whole sub-catchments can be missed out. For example, the Ettrick, Whiteadder and Eye, each with their unique population attributes, have not been sampled in the three years of sampling. Another inherent limitation of the method is that watercourses only up to a width of around 20 metres can be sampled as the methodical way in which a section can be electro-fished starts to break down beyond this width and often the river is unsafe to sample. With sites often located in smaller watercourses, based on our knowledge of run timing from 6 https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-electrofishing-programme-scotland-neps-2021/ 11 7 Generalised Random Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) sampling www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fry and Parr : Monitoring Juvenile Stocks radio tracking and the scientific literature, we may well be sampling juveniles from spring and summer stocks rather than later running fish that tend to spawn in the main river. We therefore need to be careful in extrapolating the NEPS results to wider channel areas. Hopefully genetics in the near future will help us to map out our stocks based on run timing so sampling can be altered accordingly. The method of calculating densities for fry and parr (number per m2) for each site is covered in the report, with an average then calculated for the catchment. The next step of the NEPS method is a benchmarking system which estimates what average densities should be under pristine conditions using data from the 1990’s when adult salmon abundance was higher and rivers were assumed to be at capacity. Site and catchment densities can then be compared to the benchmark and assigned to one of three categories based on the catchment average relative to the benchmark and the degree of certainty in making the assessment. The precise method is detailed in the report and requires an understanding of confidence intervals. The average fry densities for 2018 and 2019 were just above the benchmark and 2021 just below, which leads to a classification of 1,1 and 2. The parr densities were very different, with all three results well below the benchmark and classified as category 3. The categorisation for salmon fry agrees with our own assessment that there continues to be adequate levels of spawning in the Tweed District. The parr results suggest that either there is a problem in recruitment between the fry and parr stages of the life cycle or parr densities have decreased since the 1990’s due to increased migration either as smolts or to different areas of the river. Given that there are numerous regions in southern and mid- Scotland that have similar results (category 1 or 2 for fry but category 3 for parr), it seems unlikely that there would be a problem with recruitment from fry to parr on such a large scale. How this apparent problem in classification is dealt with remains unclear, but if the classifications are to be used for management decisions, then either the data will need to be remodelled or a greater emphasis will need to be placed on fry assessment. The absence of NEPS sampling in 2020 and 2022 can be attributed to the challenge of finding regular core funding from Scottish Government and COVID restrictions. With the release of the Salmon Implementation Plan, there is the wording ‘maintain regular monitoring using … sampling of juvenile salmon through the National Electrofishing Programme for Scotland NEPS’. This appears to be a firm commitment that NEPS will be carried out on an annual basis, which can then work in tandem with the river categorisation system for adult salmon. A benchmarking system for trout is also expected. Local Monitoring With the issues of parr monitoring highlighted in the NEPS method, the Tweed specific monitoring programme focuses on fry numbers, with our indexing system providing a comprehensive coverage of the catchment, with sites visited every three years. In 2022 we visited the Teviot and Till catchments. The summary report for the Teviot and Till catchments which we visited this year can be found at https://arcg.is/zriqO0. Slitrig Water While we can take heart that salmon fry numbers continue to hold up in the Teviot catchment relative to previous years, the results continue to clearly show the near absence of salmon fry in the Slitrig Water, even though there is productive habitat for salmon. The issue continues to be fish passage for adult salmon at the rock shelf located just upstream of the Heart of Hawick (where the main high street road crosses the Slitrig Water). A previous attempt was made to improve access by removing some of the bedrock on the right- hand side of the shelf, but there has been no measurable improvement in fish numbers. A consultant has been commissioned to design a Larinier The Slitrig rockshelf. fish pass, which will then need funding. An effective fish pass would open up around 11km of rearing habitat further upstream. 12 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fry and Parr : Monitoring Juvenile Stocks Bullheads The bullhead, Cottus gobio, is the most recent addition to the Tweed fish fauna, with a single individual caught electro-fishing at a site on the Langhope Burn, a tributary of the Upper Ale Water in 2001. Subsequent visits to the site found that there was an established breeding population. Bullhead are native to the South and East of England but are now found in the Northumberland Tyne, Clyde and part of the Forth District. There is no definitive explanation for how they arrived in the Tweed District; nearby lochs have been stocked in the past and it is conceivable that water with bullhead eggs or live fish was emptied into the Langton burn after stocking took place. Our network of timed electro-fishing sites, established in 2006, has allowed us to monitor the expansion of the The first bullhead caught in the Tweed District. bullhead population (Figure 6). Since then, Bullheads have been detected up to 18km km downstream of the Langhope Burn, although it is likely that they will be present for a number of kilometres further downstream in lower numbers but remain undetected. Unfortunately all we can do is monitor their expansion downstream to the main stem of the Teviot and their progression to other tributaries. Figure 6. A map showing the present and absence of bullhead in the Teviot catchment. 13 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Fry and Parr : Monitoring Juvenile Stocks Haugh Head Ford Haugh Head ford, 2022. The ford at Haugh Head, located on the Wooler Water, a tributary in the Till catchment is an almost complete block to adult salmon migration and has around seven miles of rearing habitat further upstream. Two of the six electro-fishing sites upstream of the ford contained salmon fry in 2022, but only in numbers that were classified as ‘Very Low’. Sea trout are delayed, but most of them appear to be able to get past this barrier to spawn and fry numbers continue to be reasonable. The ford wasn’t always a barrier; a picture in 1997 shows that there was a steep gradient up to the ford, but there was no vertical barrier. A combination of historical gravel extraction from the watercourse combined with some extreme rainfall events has led to a reprofiling of the streambed around the ford. A fish pass was installed in 2005, but quickly became blocked with substrate and had to be taken out. The logistics of removing the ford are complex due to ownership issues, the presence of a public footbridge next to the ford and managing the geomorphological changes that will take please when it is removed. The current estimated cost is at least £4 million. Delivery of the barrier removal project is being taken forward by the Environment Agency and Tweed Forum – however, funds are not currently secured to initiate the project. A picture of Haugh Head ford taken in 1997. 14 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Adult Salmon : Fish Counters8 Rationale: The most basic need for the management of a stock is that enough fish should escape all the pressures on them to spawn and fully stock their nursery areas with enough eggs for the next generation. The best way to investigate the health of each fish stock is to accurately count the returning adults of each species. Fish counters are run on the Ettrick, Gala, and Whiteadder, providing information on run timing, size, and numbers for salmon and trout. Whiteadder Unfortunately, the Whiteadder counter suffered damage to one of the lights, causing the system to periodically short circuit. Diagnosing this issue took a number of months, with the counter regularly disconnecting, leading to missed fish. An accurate minimum total for 2022 could therefore not be produced. This is especially frustrating for the team as we will be electrofishing the Whiteadder in 2023, which is usually an opportunity to link adult totals to fry numbers the following year. The problem has now been fixed and we hope for an accurate count in 2023. The Whiteadder fish counter. Sea trout 57 cm. Salmon 70 cm. Salmon 84 cm. 15 8 More information on how our fish counters operate can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8o2Hqu5lwA www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Adult Salmon : Fish Counters Ettrick The 2022 salmon total (Figure 1) for the Ettrick counter was 2,917 fish. While progress has been made in the operation of the fish counter software to improve the processing and validation of the data, a major issue was detected with the way data is stored in the database, meaning that totals for 2020 and 2021 are underestimates9. While this is frustrating as we expect our fish counters to provide objective, reliable data and the poor results have generated a lot of debate, we at least have the ability to re-enter the data and correct the figures. Based on our understanding of the database issue, we expect the 2020 and 2021 totals to increase by at least 500 salmon, which will help to make them more respectable relative to the totals before 2010. With a high degree of certainty that the 2022 count is accurate, we can reliably say that the 2022 total is higher than totals for 2003, 2008, and 2009, but still below the average of 3,495 for 1999- 2009. Similar to 2021, we had a very dry summer; The Ettrick fish counter. when the rain did eventually come in September and the fish managed to get up the Philiphaugh fish pass, the water was very turbid, reducing identification rates. Fish that cannot not be identified from the video footage are later identified using a predictive model based on the length of the fish and the associated probability of being a salmon or trout. Using the total number of adult fish spawning above the Ettrick and a relationship defined between lengths of fish and egg number (fecundity)10, we then calculate an estimate for egg deposition. For 2022, the estimate of 14,958,934 eggs is well above the reference values of 250 and 500 eggs per 100m2. To illustrate the importance of using egg deposition rather than numbers, the 2004 salmon total was 164 greater than 2022, but it had a lower estimated egg deposition, probably because there are now a greater proportion of two and three sea winter salmon which on average carry a higher number of eggs. This difference is even more dramatic when comparing 2022 to 2009; the average length of salmon in 2022 was 76 cm compared to 64 cm in 2009. The recount of 2020 and 2021 will also mean a recalculation of egg deposition for those years, allowing egg deposition of 2022 to be compared to 2020 and 2021. For trout totals shown in Figure 2, we look at two size classes; under 40 cm in length (brown trout) and over 40 cm in length (sea trout and a small proportion of large brown trout). In 2022, the total of 2,609 trout over 40 cm was the highest on record. The reason for this record total is unclear but the recount of 2020 and 2021 will give us a better context to the results. One possible reason could be the declining exploitation of sea trout by coastal nets in England through increased restrictions on netting operations and the reduction in active licences through the net limitation order. The settings on the new Ettrick fish counter from 2018 onwards removes any detections less than 30cm in length to make the data handling process faster, reduce false detects and avoid repeated counts of small brown trout that like to swim back and forth through the scanner in the summer. The total for trout under 40 cm is therefore an underestimation. 9 The database issue relates to the storage of data in the fish counter database from the three scanner system that was installed in 2018. Before 2010, a single scanner was operated in the old fish pass. When data from the three scanners was added to the database, some of the records in the same minute were deleted without any indication that this was happening. 10 Discussed in the 2020 annual report under the section ‘egg deposition rates’. 16 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Adult Salmon : Fish Counters Figure 1. Ettrick salmon totals with estimated egg deposition. Bars with a light colour (2018 and 2019) are likely to be inaccurate due to issues with the counting software. Dark blue bar (2020 and 2021) need to be re-processed and are currently underestimates. Figure 2. Ettrick trout totals. Fish under 40 cm not included in 2021 due to a size filter that had to be applied. 17 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Adult Salmon : Fish Counters Gala The salmon total for the Gala was 1,497, ranked as the 4th highest total on record (Figure 3) and slightly higher than the long-term average of 1,363. With the improvements made in the location of the fish counter at the top of the pass in 2020 and refinements made to the counting software, the species identification rate was 90 % compared to a long-term average of 42%. Such a high identification rate gives us a very high confidence in our predictive model for fish not identified by the camera. There were eight salmon that were greater than 100 cm in length. As is the case for the Ettrick, we separate trout counted into two size classes; under 40 cm in length (brown trout) and over 40 cm in length (sea trout and a small proportion of large brown trout). The total number of trout below 40 cm was 727 which is the fourth highest on record. The total number of trout above 40 cm was The Gala fish counter. 1,569 which is the third highest on record. The combined trout total of 2,296 is the highest on record for the Gala water and it will be interesting to see if this is reflected in higher trout fry numbers when we electro-fish in 2023. In 2022 we continued to use the PIT antenna at the Gala counter, with two of the fish detected in 2022 pictured below. The functioning of the antenna was improved by moving it a short distance downstream from the fish counter, minimising electrical interference generated by the counter. 63 cm Salmon, which was tagged on the 22nd September 2020 and measured 80 mm when tagged. 64 cm Trout tagged on the 4th May 2021 and measured 151 mm when tagged.at the fish trap. 18 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Adult Salmon : Fish Counters Figure 3. Gala salmon totals with estimated egg deposition. Figure 4. Gala trout totals under and over 40 cm. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 19

Developing the Gala Water as a Monitored River : The Story Continues Rationale: Monitoring every stage of the life cycle for one sub-catchment of the Tweed will provide us with a deeper insight into the numbers of adult salmon and trout needed to maximise the production of fry, parr and smolts. Since the last annual report, with an extensive section on the Gala Water (titled ‘celebrating the Gala Water’)11, we now have analysis completed for the first three years of electro-fishing data, allowing us to start looking at the relationship between egg deposition, fry densities and how they fit into the NEPS classification system. While the question of how egg deposition relates to numbers of fry, parr and smolts appears to be quite an academic one, it remains a fundamental question in fisheries management, despite decades of intensive research. It is only through the advent of the NEPS sampling method since 2018, combined with improving fish counter technology that allows us to investigate this question on a catchment the size of the Gala Water. Marine Scotland Science (MSS) have long term datasets for the Girnoch and Baddoch Burns on the River Dee, but these are very small sub-catchments, with spawning numbers currently limited to the low teen’s, compared to an average of 1,360 for the Gala Water. The evidence from the MSS monitored rivers is that there is a straight line relationship between egg number and fry without any indication of capacity being reached; salmon fry just live in closer proximity to each other, but will not grow as fast. From fry to parr, there is evidence that capacity can be reached, limiting parr densities when they are derived from high densities of fry12. There are only three data points so far for the Gala Water, linking estimated egg deposition to fry density the following year (Figure 1), but it provides our first opportunity to speculate on the relationship that might be present and the direction of travel. Interestingly, we already have an extreme range of egg deposition, as in 2020 there was a record 2,478 salmon that spawned in the Gala Water, which equates to more than three times the egg deposition in 2019 and 2021. Even with this extreme egg deposition, it did not translate into higher densities of fry the following year, providing the first tentative suggestion that fry densities are at capacity. At least ten data points will be needed before we can draw stronger conclusions. In the context of the NEPS benchmarking system, 2019 would be classified as category 3, 2020 as category 2 and 2021 as category 1. One of the first findings is that high egg deposition does not automatically translate to category 1 status. Electro-fishing a quantitative site on the Gala Water. 11 https://www.rivertweed.org.uk/tweed-foundation/reports/annual-reports/ 12 https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2231 20 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Developing the Gala Water as a Monitored River : The Story Continues! Figure 1. Estimated egg deposition plotted against average fry density the following year. The data label is the year of the egg estimate. The bars Eastttaicmhedattoeedachepgogintdareepcoonsfiditeinocenlimpitlso13t.ted against average fry density the following year. The data label is the yTeoatrigohftetnhuepeogugr eegsgtimdeaptoes.itiTohneesbtiamrsataest,twacehpeladnttoo reuancahfipshotinratpainrethceosnpfaiwdeninncgerulinmfoitrst1h3e next few years to see cTywfeeueoxhmraaetrmraietsglhpenhestltetrolr,eyteshnlsaaaeeltmuciervcapoetowinootuohuunomnerftdetmaehedlgearegls5fer.o0sdtrtceh.ompefFoecormsoariutatileildoeoxsnhaoiasmefvisnepmtfaillumeahe,lainegstcsaheelestdmro,browayftneeitohmupoenalfladelmennesagrtlteoi5hss0rotiuonfcntffmheluameecffainoislsehcuhs,elwaddtnrhhadbicpayshvaileitnmshnatoehonhteloeicgvsunheprgrreaet8rhwn0trnlocayimftnaicgotcchooroeuuuflnndfmitsehfohadarvl,efeotwsrhm.hteoFoicornehfreexmist afneleowst aRnedtusranlmRaotensoovfeSral8m0ocnmancdouTrldoubte more females relative to males. Since 2019 for salmon and 2021 for sea trout we have been pit tagging smolts to start monitoring return rates and measure the capture efficiency of the trap. A flatbed, detection antenna is installed just downstream of the counter Rawedhutiuclthrs.ndTerhtaeetcmetssaojooufrthwsaiaclcrmdupmoniingartahnteidnpgtrortoacgeusgtsewd assmaonltisssaunedwaitshmtahlelefrisahnpteanssnaanisteinnsntaalilned20in21thwehfiicshh pass to detect returning meant that an unknown Spirnocpeor2ti0o1n9offotargsgaeldmfioshn waenrde m20is2s1edf.oTrhseeparotrboleumt wwaes hcaauvseedbebey nelepcittritcaagl ignitnegrfesrmenocletsgetonesrataterdt fmroomnitthoerfiinshg return drltcaooooctuwbeanetsnetwestartho;rneurekdnaainfnmogmtretneunoonnafraasmtutaeahrllfyeleeytw.htWcehmoeeauenatnrtrceeetaenssprntditaloluwwwwrhenaoissrcktiehrnienfsafgtdimactelhileetoredonf cutcwhtgyshehecootnohfuutishtntwephterceaoro.rbudtlenramtmeprwi.gwirtaahsAttdihnifesglcamottnbaannegeudgcfeatecdddteufstrremeorcm,otwilmotitsnhaintahasnenpdtcoeuwanrrenesrn,amstosaiosalllpeuiptrnieosaantrnaetltdoleendnajusist fiD9nis.e5shts%papil(tl2aee7sdt)shriiesnatpuntrrthnoeeibnnlgefnimsabha, wicnpkeat2doso0sth2hte1oavGdewaelohatuieWcrchfaitrtsermtreiinetnusai2rgn0nht2itn2st.ghinGaatiotvdetuahnnlettshru.eatntuTskrhannlemorawmotennasrjoeoptfrursorehnpaicrotarcrotuteuipsotafniornerot2tyfh8p3eticaspamglrlgyooelqctdseutosafstigeswgdheaadwrsoineuarnn2ed0i2s3m1s%,uiw,seistitewihsdi.th the The pinrtoebrelestmingwtoasdicsacouvseerdthbayt tehleercettruircnalraitnetfeorrfseeraetnrocuetgiseanpeprraotxeimdaftreolymthtrheeetfimisehschoiguhnetre. r; unfortunately the antenna wRealastiivneslytasmlleadll swamheplnestohfesaclmouonntaenrdwtraoustdsimscooltsnwneercetetadggfreodmin 2m02a1inast tphoewfisehr,trsapo aaspmpoesatrfeisdh lteoft bthee wGaolarkininagtwnoormally Wdaey paerreiodstwililthwhoigrhkiwnagtetrh, hroowugevhertihnis20p22ro, mbloeremrewprietshentthateivemsaamnupfleascotuf 1r,e29r,9 wsailmthonthaendc6u0r0resenattrsooultuwtieorentatoggleodc. ate the aAnsttehnensamaoltfetrwapmoenltyrecastdchoews npasrttreoaf mtheosfmtholet rcuonulneatveirn.g the Gala Water, we need to calculate the proportion that DiICgnneoa2ls2ci0npu02til2oa1tet1timnh,tgeohwsttithsriateshppmtrrroa9oepllt.ba5setl%lfeievfimefcti(eti,2nonw7cat)hyetehwrdaenosotunudmhoarbytnabeivpnreeeegtrhniooabsudttarrbwacyfikigpitrhhasttsthofsoiigtrnthwhhseaiwegrtdrahaGtaptesasrb,tlriawynadhgtWioiotciihoantnhtgiseaeolardvnryeieniernttmuhh2erae0nrre2kcnira2natu.gtllidemoGfs(ikstinmoavtofeioownslntnesotawahfsattastrhthofeoeusuptatnrroladfmpcoteporosinsnb2,ge8arine3nedfeftsifucimfneirecn2ont0cilvt2ryesa2)..tteasggaerde twyepifcoaulnlyd iqt udioffticeudlt atoroeluenctdro3-f%ish, simt iosltisnttoetraegs. tAinmgorteocdoniscceortveedretffhoarttwtihlleberemtaudreninra2t0e23f,osurbSjeecat ttororiuvetricsoanpdiptiroonxs.imately three times higher. 13 The range of possible values if the entire Gala Water was sampled, which provides an indication of how representative the site average is. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 21 13

Salmon : Smolt Tracking Project Rationale: The salmon smolt is the final product of the river. Losses at this stage of the life cycle cannot be replaced. It is therefore essential to know exactly where, how and when smolts are lost on their way downstream as it may be possible to reduce these losses, which is not possible to do at sea. Manual tracking on the Middle Tweed. 2022 was the fifth and final year of the Tweed smolt tracking project. While the tracking project has provided new insights into the movements of Tweed smolts and their survival down the river, tracking is an expensive and time- consuming operation, with only marginal gains in our knowledge if we were to continue annually. The 2022 study, which was overseen by Marine Scotland Science, in partnership with three other rivers (the Dee, Spey and Deveron) was identical to the 2021 study design and is described in detail in the 2021 annual report14. While the overarching aims were to continue estimating smolt survival and the distribution of losses, the size of tag and timing of tagging were investigated to see whether these factors have a bearing on the results. This was carried out by comparing the survival of smolts using a 3 mm tag (known as a JSAT pin tag) versus a 5 mm tag (Vemco) and pre-smolts tagged in March (allowing time to recover from the surgery) versus fish tagged in the smolt run. In 2021 it was hoped that there would be a prolonged period of low water through the smolt run which would mean relatively slow migration times from Galafoot down to Berwick. This would helpfully maximise any differences in survival. Unfortunately, this was not the case due to the rise in water levels in early May taking most of the tagged smolts out to sea in a two day period. In 2022 we again hoped for low water and thankfully for the study, there was no significant rainfall from March onwards, with river flow decreasing over this period. Conditions were reasonably similar to 2019 and 2020. Overall survival was 56% for the 5 mm tags and 57.6% for the 3 mm tags that were tagged at the trap15, 10-15% higher than the survival in 2019 and 2020, under similar conditions. There is no obvious explanation for why survival was higher in 2022. Given the relatively small sample size relative to the total Tweed smolt run, we always have to be careful in extrapolating the results to the wider population as small samples are more prone to chance events and random factors affecting results. 14 https://www.rivertweed.org.uk/tweed-foundation/reports/annual-reports/ 15 We are still awaiting the data for presmolts. 22 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Salmon : Smolt Tracking Project Figure 1. Smolt survival plotted against distance down the river from Galafoot. The distribution of losses are displayed in Figure 2 . While we await the detection data for the presmolts tagged with JSAT pin tags for a more complete analysis, it is interesting to note that in both years survival is slightly higher for 3 mm JSAT pin tags compared to 5 mm Vemco tags. In 2021 the difference is 7% to Ladykirk (60.9 km) and 11% to Horncliffe (69.5 km) in 2022. In the first instance this tells us that tag size does not have a major influence on smolt survival but does leave the question of whether it still has a more subtle effect of around 10%. Only repeated studies for a number of years could provide a more conclusive answer. Another question that is currently being investigated by Marine Scotland Science is the percentage of tags that are ejected from fish while they migrate downstream. Fish have been tagged with non-functioning tags (known as dummy tags) and released into large tanks; tag retention over time will then be analysed. As discussed in previous annual reports, we are still circumspect that percentage survival figures of tagged smolts truly reflects the natural smolt population. An interesting new dimension to the interpretation of results is the possibility that the genetics of smolts can influence their survival down the river; either through a genetic disposition to deal with the tagging process or their natural ability to reach the estuary. Genetic samples have been collected for other tracking projects in Scotland and hopefully there will be some results published in 2023 to provide a clearer picture. We are very grateful for the assistance provided by River Tweed Commission fisheries officers for the capture of smolts for tagging, installing receivers and support for the manual tracking surveys using the boat. The five year tracking project would not have been possible without their assistance. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 23

Bird Predation : Assessing their impact on the Tweed Fishery Rationale: To inform the debate on the damage that fish eating birds can cause to the salmon fishery and the licensing method, a reliable evidence base is required. To quantify the biological impact of bird predation, extensive data needs to be gathered on daily movements of birds, feeding locations, dietary composition, and daily food intake. Data on the populations of fish species where the birds have been feeding is also needed. One of the primary concerns of the angling community is the impact of goosanders and cormorants on juvenile Atlantic salmon and trout. This concern can be divided into two parts; the biological impact (how bird predation affects local fish populations) and the economic impact to the fishery. Estimating these impacts is challenging. Of the millions of eggs laid every year by adult salmon, not all will hatch or survive to the fry stage. With a limit to available resources such as food or shelter, mortality of fry can be high, particularly when there is a high level of spawning. The improved survival and growth of the fry that are left can compensate for losses from predators and competition, but this is difficult to quantify. Compensation for losses is thought to be less for parr and absent for smolts. Monitoring from other rivers The atlas bone or first vertebrae of an Atlantic salmon shows that around 3% of smolts that leave the river come back as with the maximum width measured. adults. We cannot increase marine survival (under the assumption that poor survival is attributed to cyclical climatic changes), but if we can improve the survival of smolts in the river by reducing predation, then the next question is how many more returning adults will there be and how much benefit would this be to the fishery. Estimating dietary composition of goosanders and cormorants using stomach samples from birds that are shot under licence is one of the more straightforward aspects of assessing biological impact. The method we use is the identification of key fish bones removed from stomachs, with measurements taken to estimate the length and mass of the fish before they were eaten. Consideration as to where and when the birds were shot is an important aspect of data recording to allow fine scale analysis. For example, to understand the relationship between a bird and the fish species it consumed we need to know where the bird was feeding, the river conditions and what species are present at the location the bird was feeding. Collecting this data is particularly challenging as goosanders and cormorants are mobile, generalist fish-eating birds meaning they eat the most locally abundant fish that are easiest to catch. On the Tweed, we have thirteen river fish species and six in still waters. There are only two reports that use samples from the Tweed. The first was produced by the Scottish Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department in 199816 and used Tweed bird samples from 1990 to 1995. In 2022 the Scottish Government published a report17 that used samples from 2019 and 2020. The 1998 report estimated the diet of goosanders in March and April from 1990 to 1995 contained 31% Trout and 18% Salmon (Figure 1). The 2022 report compared the dietary composition of the samples from April 1991, 1992, 1994 (April/May), and 1995, to samples from April/May in 2019 (Figure 2). The key finding was that there was a notable increase in percentage mass of minnows compared to the historical samples; 38% in 2019 vs 3-8% in 1991-1995. They also found that there was less salmon in 2019 (15%) than in 1994 (17%) and noticeably less than in 1991 (38%), conversely there was more salmon in 2019 than in 1995 (14%) and 1992 (13%). This increase in the proportion of minnows could represent a change in dietary preference or could just be a consequence of where the birds were shot and the river conditions at the time. Minnows are broadly distributed on the Tweed and congregate in large shoals in summer; we are not aware of an increase in minnow abundance since the 1990’s. 16 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Carss/publication/338037364_Fish_Eating_Birds_and_Salmonids_in_Scotland links/5dfb39364585159aa487fc12/Fish-Eating-Birds-and-Salmonids-in-Scotland.pdf 17 https://www.gov.scot/publications/analysis-bird-stomach-contents-final-report-goosander-cormorant-diet-four-scottish rivers-2019-2020/ 24 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Bird Predation : Assessing their impact on the Tweed Fishery Figure 1. The stomach contents (% by mass) of goosanders in March and April on the Tweed from 1991 to 1995 N = 340. Figure 2. The stomach contents (% by mass) of cormorants in mostly March or April on the Tweed from 1991 to 1995 N = 79. The estimated diet of the cormorants in mostly March or April from 1991 to 1995 was mostly grayling (61%), then trout (16%), eel (7%), Rainbow trout (5%), and salmon (5%); the rest of the diet comprised small percentages of various other fish species (Figure 3). The 2022 report compared the dietary composition of cormorants from 1994 and 1995 to 2019 (Figure 4). There was notably less eel and grayling in the diet of cormorants in the spring of 2019. Conversely, there was a striking rise in trout and salmon in the spring of 2019. The large proportion of Rainbow trout in the historical sample was from nineteen stomach contents including three Rainbow trout, and so is likely due to a few cormorants specifically feeding at a stocked still water. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 25

Bird Predation : Assessing their impact on the Tweed Fishery Figure 3. Diet comparisons for river Tweed goosanders; smolt run sample period 2019 and four other broadly comparable samples between 1991 and 1995. Figure 4. Diet comparisons for river Tweed cormorants; smolt run sample period 2019 and two other broadly comparable samples from 1994 and 1995. 26 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Bird Predation : Assessing their impact on the Tweed Fishery Smolts are, in theory, the most vulnerable of all the juvenile life stages to predation when they leave areas of shelter to migrate down the river, and the only stage of the life cycle when we can enumerate economic damage. We therefore focus our attention on the smolt run period. An expectation is that during the spring, goosanders and cormorants consume a higher proportion of salmon and trout because of the increased abundance of smolts. The 2022 report showed that the diet of goosanders contained proportionally more trout and grayling in autumn relative to spring but as expected, there was more salmon in the spring sample but the proportion was still low (15%) (Figure 5). For cormorants, the proportion of juvenile salmon in the spring diet was greater than the proportion in the autumn diet, and the same was found for juvenile trout (Figure 6). It should be noted that the autumn diet of cormorants also contains large salmonids and that this contribution to the diet composition came from three fish out of the 24 stomach samples. Figure 5. Diet comparison for river Tweed goosanders; smolt run sample period 2019 and subsequent autumn sample. Figure 6. Diet comparison for river Tweed cormorant smolt run sample period 2019 and subsequent autumn sample. 27 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Bird Predation : Assessing their impact on the Tweed Fishery The 2022 report also presented the estimated length frequency distribution of juvenile salmon eaten by goosanders and cormorants. Firstly, they compared the spring samples (Mar/April/May) from 2019 with the historical samples, and then the 2019 spring samples were compared to the 2019 autumn samples. When comparing the spring sample from 2019 to the spring samples in the 1990s they found: • For the goosander diet, juvenile salmon from spring 2019 were not significantly different in length from juvenile salmon • in the diet from spring 1995 but were significantly smaller than the juvenile salmon in the diet from spring 1991. For the cormorant diet, juvenile salmon from spring 2019 were significantly smaller than juvenile salmon in the diet from spring 1995. The difference in juvenile salmon length could be explained by sampling biases, or it could be the smolts getting smaller. When comparing the spring sample from 2019 to the autumn sample from 2019 they found: • Juvenile salmon in goosander samples from spring 2019 were not significantly different in length from juvenile • salmon in the diet from autumn 2019. Juvenile salmon in cormorant samples from spring 2019 were significantly smaller than juvenile salmon in the diet from autumn 2019. With preserved stomach samples from 2020 to 2022, we can start to delve deeper into the representativeness of samples, in particular the timing of when the stomach samples are taken in April and May. This issue is important to consider when interpreting the results, as not all of the birds were sampled during the estimated peak of the smolt run. For example, the majority of the goosander samples from spring 2019 were during April, but the peak of the smolt run from the Gala Water is early May, which may be indicative of the wider river. From our smolt trap on the Gala Water that we use to monitor the smolt run, we can assess when stomach samples are most likely to be representative of the peak smolt run. With the protracted nature of relying on other parties for stomach contents analysis for the last report, in 2022 we have developed our capability to collect biometric data on birds that are shot under licence and process their stomach contents ready for analysis. Our next step is to receive training and third-party supervision to maintain an element of quality control in our analysis. Based on the recommendations of the 2022 report, in 2023 we will start sampling in more specific areas of the river, starting with some selected beats from the Middle Tweed. Doing so will allow us to start assessing whether there are geographical variations in dietary composition. We are also interested in investigating the difference between the spring diet and the autumn diet, with samples taken from the autumn period as well. 28 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Lower Tweed Trout Tracking Rationale: It is important to understand the structure of mixed stock fisheries, as negative pressure such as a pollution event in one part of the main river that kills adult trout could have a negative impact on juvenile recruitment in spawning tributaries. Observing a decline in fry or parr numbers can then be correctly interpreted. Alternatively, prolonged droughts and increased water temperatures on the tributaries could put juvenile populations under stress (e.g. living in a confined space) and possibly cause trout to migrate downstream or die. Brown trout (hereafter referred to as trout) are the non-migratory or “resident” counterpart to sea trout. However, a freshwater resident trout may also migrate reasonable distances from their natal spawning tributaries to their summer feeding grounds in the main river or estuary. The technical term for this is ‘potamodromous migration’ (migration within freshwater habitats). As trout spawning areas typically do not provide suitable habitat to sustain large trout for the entire year, mature fish are forced to migrate downstream to larger parts of the river that have the right food, temperature, oxygen, and shelter from predators. This migratory tendency also means the spawning grounds are free for the juvenile fish to grow without competing with their larger parents. After spawning, trout migrate to the main stem of the river or tributary. A section of the river such as the Lower or Middle Tweed could hold trout originating from many different tributaries, thus, creating a mixed fishery or perhaps, most fish come from a particular part of the catchment. Previous tracking studies (2016-2020) have shown that large trout (43-59.5 cm) from small tributaries such as the Stanhope Burn (located 7 km north of the Talla reservoir) migrate downstream relatively locally to the Upper Tweed but may also travel as far as Sprouston in the Lower Tweed (roughly 100km). Additionally, trout tagged in the Middle Tweed (Boleside to Kelso above cauld) migrated upstream to tributaries in the Upper Tweed catchment and to the Ettrick catchment. Figure 1. The area and number where trout from the Stanhope burn moved to feed during the summer. Black dots are receiver locations. 29 Red square is tagging location. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Lower Tweed Trout Tracking These initial findings showed that trout that reside in the main stem of the Tweed in Peeblesshire TFA waters are critical to maintaining Upper Tweed juvenile trout populations. However, what is significant is that the tributaries in the Upper Tweed such as Stanhope also contribute to the mixed trout fisheries from Boleside to Sprouston. This indicates that policies that are implemented by Peeblesshire TFA, Gala AA, Melrose AA, St Boswells AA, and Kelso AA could affect the trout populations for other clubs or at the very least, the Stanhope burn population. Alternatively, changes in the Stanhope burn through floods, droughts, increased temperatures, or changes in land use could reduce the Stanhope burns effectiveness for producing the larger trout that anglers enjoy fishing for on the main stem of the Tweed. The previous tracking study highlighted the importance of establishing where trout originate from, in this case allowing us to pinpoint a specific burn that could benefit from management practices such as riparian tree planting. Figure 2. The area and number where trout tagged at Boleside migrated to spawn. Black dots are receiver locations. Red square is tagging location. With generous sponsorship from Coldstream Angling Association and Kelso Angling Association, 20 Lower Tweed trout were captured by rod and line between Sprouston and the mouth of the Till in 2020, a distance of 18km. Three trout were caught at Sprouston, four at Carham, seven at West Learmouth, five at Lennel, and one at Till Mouth (Figure 3). The average length of trout was 32cm (12.6”) and ranged between 20 and 59 cm. The trout were tagged with two types of Vemco 180khz tags; V9 (9mm diameter) which would last 535 days, and the V5 (5mm diameter) which would last 172 days. Due to a programming error by the manufacturer, the V5s would only last for 125 days and stopped operating before the entire spawning migration run had finished. Despite this error, some data was collected over the summer and the start of the spawning run and the manufacturer is replacing the tags free of charge for tracking in 2023. The receiver placement for detecting tagged fish consisted of an inner core that covered the immediate area around the tagging locations to monitor the spawning run to the Middle Tweed, Teviot, Eden, Leet, and downstream from the mouth of the Till (Figure 3). In addition to the receivers covering the spawning migration, four receivers were located at West Learmouth to investigate summer movements of trout caught at this location and how many return to the same location after spawning. 30 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Lower Tweed Trout Tracking Out of the 20 tagged trout, 12 yielded data from their spawning run leaving eight that disappeared after tagging, seven of which had the malfunctioning V5 tags. Broad details are shown in the table below and displayed in Figure 3. Trout ID Tagging Location Spawning Location 58614 Sprouston Teviot: unknown tributary 58616, 58617, 58618 Carham Teviot: unknown tributary 58619 West Learmouth Teviot: unknown tributary 58620 West Learmouth Teviot: Oxnam 58622 West Learmouth Teviot: Rule 58623 West Learmouth Teviot: Kale 58621 West Learmouth Ettrick/Yarrow 58585 West Learmouth Unknown: Last detection Tweed at Galafoot 58613 Lennel Till: Upstream of the Glen water confluence 58611 Lennel Unknown: Last detection at West Learmouth Due to the programming error in 2022, we will be repeating the project in 2023. This time there will be 40, V9 tags. The receiver and tagging positions will remain largely the same. However, there will be a couple of alterations the first of which will be the inclusion of additional tagging locations below the mouth of the Till. Secondly a receiver will be placed in the mouth of the harbour to detect any trout that decide to migrate to sea. We will aim to tag similar numbers in the same locations to see if the trout in these locations have the same migration dispersion as the previous years. Figure 3. The area where trout were tagged, the acoustic receiver locations, and the final destination of the trout within the lower Tweed migrated to spawn. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 31

Lower Tweed Trout Tracking Migration Details for Individual Fish Trout #58613 was tagged at Lennel on the 15th June. Nothing is known about its summertime movements. However, on the 1st of October #58613 was detected around Twizel Bridge and then 4 days later was detected at the receiver a few km upstream of the Glen Water confluence. This was its last detection, and its battery was estimated to run out 11 days later, which may explain why there were no further detections. Trout #58585 was tagged at West Learmouth on the 13th of June, where it stayed until the 10th of October. It then made its way past the receiver at Wark on the 13th of October and was detected at Galafoot on the 22nd of October which was its last detection. We don’t exactly know where this trout went to spawn; without any detections on the Gala, Ettrick/Yarrow or Glenmoriston receivers, it most likely spawned in the Caddon Water, Quair Water, or Leithen Water. Trout #58621, #58622, and #58623 were the only ones to be tracked back downstream to their summer feeding grounds at West Learmouth after they spawned in the tributaries. However, none of them stayed at West Learmouth for longer than two days in November. #58621 and #58623 were tracked a further 18 km downstream to Horncliffe. Furthermore, #58623 moved between Ladykirk and Horncliffe (30/10/2022-02/11/2022) three times before going missing around Ladykirk. It is possible, although unlikely, that #58621 migrated to sea and has become a sea trout. It is more likely that it has started feeding somewhere around Horncliffe to compensate for loss of condition from spawning. Link to trout tracking presentation 32 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Brown Trout and Grayling : Catches Rationale: Monitoring the catches and fishing effort for a sample of anglers is the only way in which a reasonable indication of the state of the brown trout stocks and fishing can be produced at present. The recording of effort and methods that produce catches also means that they can be compared over time.17 For 2022, we received catch returns from 31 trout and grayling anglers, an increase of 15 % from 2021. However, there was a 30 % drop in fishing trips compared to 2021, with many anglers mentioning the extreme heat and low water as their primary reason for less fishing. Despite the decrease of angler’s trips, the rate of capture of large brown trout (greater than 25 cm/10 inch) was still above average. However, there was a significant decrease in the capture rate of grayling, although this is mostly likely due to the hot temperatures later in the season when grayling angling mainly occurs. The decrease may therefore not reflect the health of the grayling population. Two New Catch Logbooks For the 2023 fishing season we have spent a considerable amount of time improving our paper catch logbook, which was kindly printed by our sponsor, Flyfishing. There should now be a paper logbook to go with every trout and grayling ticket sold for Tweed and Eye fishing. In addition to this we are now asking for more information on grayling sizes as we feel they deserve the same attention as brown trout. The online logbook was beta tested by 13 anglers in 2022 (accumulating 63 fishing trips) and after a few tweaks it is ready for wider use. The online catch return logbook can be found at https://arcg.is/Sr0S4. The same information is recorded as the paper logbook and it can also handle submissions for trout spot pattern recognition. 17 More details can be found in the 2021 annual report : https://www.rivertweed.org.uk/tweed-foundation/reports/annual-reports/ 33 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Education Broomlands Primary School attending a TweedStart Day. Following a tough couple of years in which COVID disrupted much of our education programme, we were thankful that 2022 brought about an easing in restrictions. Many of the big events that we usually take part in were able to run again, while schools were once again keen to start learning about the river. As a result, 2022 proved to be our busiest year to-date. Reconnecting the Wooler Water Project An aerial view of Haugh Head Ford and the Wooler Water (left) and a group photo of Lowick and Holy Island First Schools during their visit to the Wooler Water (right). One of the big projects that The Tweed Foundation was involved in was the “Reconnecting the Wooler Water” project, which has the main aim of removing Haugh Head ford and its associated check weirs from the Wooler Water. We have the role of delivering the project’s education programme which involved working with local schools and community groups, engaging them with the river and highlighting the benefits that the project would bring to the area. Alongside both the Tweed Forum and Glendale Gateway Trust, the Tweed Foundation was one of the main partners in the project. A number of activities took place throughout 2022 and, with the project continuing into 2023, we look forward to running more in the New Year. 34 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Education : Trout in the Classroom 2022 saw the return of the Tweed Foundation’s “Fish in the Classroom” project, this time focussing on trout. In January and February, three schools took part in “Trout in the Classroom” – Holy Trinity Church of England First School, Hugh Joicey Church of England First School and Spittal County First School (Berwick). The project consisted of five lessons, during which the classes learnt all about the River Tweed and what lives in the river, all whilst looking after 100 trout eggs in their very own fish tanks. Lesson 1: Rivers In the first lesson, each class learnt about why rivers are important, how a river changes along its course and some of the challenges that rivers (including the Tweed) are currently facing. Each class then helped set up their fish tank so that they were ready to receive their trout eggs the following week. Lesson 2: Fish Live samples of fish were brought into the schools during the second lesson. The children learnt how to identify each species before going on to learn all about the Tweed’s Trout and releasing the trout eggs into their fish tank. The pupils were then in charge of looking after their trout, making sure the tank conditions were favourable for the fish to grow. Lesson 3: Invertebrates The children then learnt about the Tweed’s invertebrates. Live invertebrate samples were brought into the classroom so that the children could identify the different invertebrate groups and then test how clean their local rivers were. By this time, the eggs were starting to hatch! Lesson 4: Trout Animations Each class then got to incorporate what they had learnt throughout the first three lessons into creating a short stop motion animation on the life cycle of the Trout. With each class having created their own animation and recorded their own scripts as voice overs, the final animations were fantastic! Lesson 5: Release Day The project then came to an end when the trout were ready to be released. Each school took a trip to Chatton Trout Fishery where they looked back over what they had learnt throughout the project, watched their final animations for the first time, and then released their trout into the lake. We would like to extend our thanks to Chatton Trout Fishery for accommodating what turned out to be great field trips for each of the schools. With each school returning very positive feedback on the project, we look forward to running the project again in 2023. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 35

Education : Events Snapshot 2022 March In March, the Tweed Foundation took part in Holy Trinity First School’s science week. Each class in the school got to take part in a workshop in which they observed and identified live samples of the Tweed’s invertebrates and fish. Children then learnt about the salmon life cycle. April As part of the Reconnecting the Wooler Water project, the Tweed Foundation took part in a guided walk looking at life in the Wooler Water. Participants of the walk got the chance to learn about some of the Wooler Water’s invertebrates and fish population with an electrofishing demonstration. The Tweed Foundation also took part in an angling development day run at Coldingham Loch where the children took part in pond dipping. May Having not run for two years due to COVID, 1200 Primary 5’s visited the Kelso show ground for the BUAS Schools Day to learn about the different aspects of the Borders’ countryside. The Tweed Foundation had a fish tank and invertebrate samples on display while also discussing the importance of fishing in the area. The day proved a great success and we look forward to taking part again in 2023. TweedStart events also started again. First up was a day on the Whiteadder reservoir, with children from both Lauder Primary and Broomland Primary getting the chance to learn how to fly fish. All days were a great success, with fish being caught by each group. As part of the Reconnecting the Wooler Water project, the Tweed Foundation also worked with the Wooler Scout Group. Over the course of two days, scouts learnt about life in and around the Wooler Water before taking part in a TweedStart day run at Chatton Trout Fishery. Both days were great fun, with several scouts managing to catch their first fish. 36 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Education : Events Snapshot 2022 June The annual Glendale Children’s Day started up again. The Tweed Foundation attended the event, teaching children from across Northumberland and North Tyneside about the fish and invertebrates in the River Tweed. Children were also made aware of some of the challenges that fish face in the Tweed, including both climate change and barriers in the river, and discovered what the Tweed Foundation are doing to help overcome these issues. The Tweed Foundation also worked with Lowick and Holy Island First School and Norham St. Ceolwulf’s First School as part of the Reconnecting the Wooler Water project. Each school visited their local river to discover how rivers shape our landscape, why freshwater invertebrates are so important and what fish are living in our rivers. Despite a few wet feet, the visits proved a great success. There were also a couple of TweedStart days run throughout June. Knowepark Primary School visited the Trout fishery at Roxburgh, while the Wooler Scouts enjoyed another day fishing at Chatton Trout Fishery. We also took part in a bioblitz run at Drygrange by the Borders Forests Trust, ran an education day with the Wooler Beavers Club and guided a river life walk on the Wooler Water. July With COVID preventing any large events taking place throughout 2020 and 2021, July saw the return of the Border Union Show at Kelso. The theme of our display was how climate change is impacting Tweed salmon, with people making their way around the display, learning about the impacts of climate change on each stage of the life cycle and the work that the Tweed Foundation is carrying out to minimise any impacts. Having already run days with both the Scouts and Beavers, it was the Wooler Cubs’ turn to learn about the river. The Tweed Foundation ran two days with the group as part of the Reconnecting the Wooler Water project. On the first day, they sampled the river for both invertebrates and fish and then on the second day tried their hand at catching some fish at Chatton Trout Fishery. Despite some tricky conditions, the group did well to catch several trout during the visit. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 37

Education : Events Snapshot 2022 September In September, the Tweed Foundation took part in the first Merlindale Nature Festival by having a stand displaying some of the Tweed’s fish species while also giving electrofishing demonstrations. Celebrating biodiversity in and around Merlindale (Upper Tweed), the event was a great success and attracted over 300 people. With a date already set for 2023, we are looking forward to taking part again. September also saw the Tweed Foundation work with several schools. Priorsford Primary enjoyed a trip to the River Tweed at Peebles. They received demonstrations on sampling for both invertebrates and fish and were then given the chance to identify both. Newlands Primary School also looked at invertebrates and fish, this time focussing on the Lyne Water as part of their John Muir Trust Award, while Tweedbank Primary School focussed on the river’s invertebrates as part of a project looking at water quality. October Organised by the Royal Highland Education Trust In October, the Tweed Foundation attended the Hirsel Estate Countryside Days. Children from Jedburgh Grammar and Berwick High School visited stalls to learn about different occupations that the countryside has to offer. The Tweed Foundation introduced them to the salmon life cycle and the different challenges that salmon are facing before showing them some of the Tweed’s invertebrates. November Pupils from Tweedbank Primary 3 and 4 got live samples of both fish and invertebrates brought into the classroom, learning how to identify different species while also covering life cycles. if you would like to support Tweed Start you can donate here 38 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

www.tweedfoundation.org.uk Map of the Tweed Catchment Total river length includes first and second order watercourses 39

Trustees and Staff Stanhope, Upper Tweed As at April 2023 The Tweed Foundation Foundation Staff Drygrange Steading, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DJ Jamie Stewart (Director) Tel: (01896) 848271 Alison Gorrie (Executive Assistant) Email: [email protected] James Hunt (Policy & Senior Biologist) Web: www.rivertweed.org.uk Jonny Archer (Fish Biologist) Company No. SC366380 Suzanna Taylor (Fish Biologist) Registered Charity No. SC011055 Patrick Barbour (Education Officer) Trustees Principal Bankers Peter Straker-Smith (Chairman) Clydesdale Bank / Virgin Money W M de la Hey (joined 05/03/2022) 9 High Street, Galashiels, TD1 1RY Douglas J Dobie Lord Joicey Independent Examiners C E Plowden (joined 05/03/2022) John P H Scott Rennie Welch W Allan Virtue Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors Sheena A West Academy House, Shedden Park Road, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 7AL Hugh P Younger Douglas H Younger (resigned 05/03/2022) Fund Managers Cazenove Capital Management Limited 18 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DF Acknowledgements The Tweed Foundation is very grateful to Tweed fishery proprietors, the River Tweed Commission, Foundation Benefactors, private donors, Friends of the Foundation, the Scottish Government, Marine Scotland, FishPal, the local Angling Clubs and Associations, and many others for their financial assistance with our studies. Without this support we would not be able to achieve the very substantial amount of research undertaken each year on behalf of the River. Thank you 40 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Accounts The TweTehdeFTowueneddatFionunLdimatiitoend Limited The Tweed Foundation Limited (A ch(aAritcahbalre(iAtcaobchmleapcraiotanmbylpeliamcnioytemldimpbaiytneygdulibmayriatgenudteaberay)ngtueaer)antee) StateSmtaetneStmtoaeftneFtmionefanFnticnoiaafnlFAciincaatlinAvcictitiaeivlsiAticetsivities For thFeoyrethareFeoyner datheredeny3de1eaDdr e3nc1edDmeedbce3er1m2Db0ee2cr2e2m02b2er 2022 2022 2022021 2021 UnrestricteUdnreRsetrsitcrtiecdted RestriTcotetadl ToTtaoltal Total funfudnsds funds funds funfdusnds funfdusnds ££ £ ££ ££ £ 1541,8045,436 Income andInecnodmoewamnednetsndfroowmments from 147,100 147,1070,705 71,75045,805 184,436 Donations aDnodnleagtioancisesand legacies Charitable aCchtaivritaiebsle activities 80,515 80,5155,854 551,83564,369 136,38659,994 85,994 Charitable aCchtivairtiteasble activities 3,500 3,500 - 374 3,-500 3,500374 GovernanceGaonvderonfafincececoasntds office costs Investment Iincvoemstement income 24,823 24,823 - 24,-823 24,82233,241 23,241 Other incomOether income - -- -- 5,-701 5,701 Total Total 255,938 255,9638,559 633,51599,497 3192,4997,746 299,746 ExpenditurEexopnenditure on 4,469 4,469200 2040,669 4,6649,279 4,279 Raising fundRsaising funds Charitable aCchtaivritaiebsle activities 1,517 1,51167,707 16,71087,224 18,27204,211 70,211 Research anRdesceoanrscehrvaantdionconservation 64,155 64,16575,351 671,3511,506 1311,52056,880 125,880 85,982 85,982 - Scientific staSfcf ientific staff 22,245 22,2495,680 85,-982 85,97872,329 77,329 9,63810,925 31,93295,180 39,180 GovernanceGaonvderonfafincececoasntds office costs DepreciationD,eeptrceciation, etc Total Total 178,368 178,39638,938 932,97328,306 2723,31066,879 316,879 Net realisedNgeatinresa/(lliosessdegsa) ionns/(inlovsessetms)eonntsinvestments - -- -- -- - Net realisedNeintcroeamlies/e(edxipnecnodmiteu/r(e)xpenditure) 77,570 77,(53700,379) (30,3479,1)91 47,(1971,133) (17,133) Net unrealisNeedtguaninresa/(lliosessdegsa) ionns/i(nlovsessetms)eonntsinvestment(s65,561) (65,561) - (65,-561) (65,5361,5)51 36,551 Net incomeN/(eetxipnecnodmiteu/r(e)xpenditure) 12,009 12,(0309,379) (30,(31789,3)70) (18,31790,4)18 19,418 ReconciliatRioencoonf cfuilniadtsion of funds 774,715 774,76155,306 658,3406,021 8408,02201,603 820,603 Total funds Tborotaulgfhutnfdosrwbarordught forward Total fundsTcoatarrliefudnfdosrwcardried forward 786,724 786,73244,927 348,92217,651 8218,64501,021 840,021 ExtraEcxttfrraocmEt xftrthoreamc2tt0hf2reo1m2A0ct2hc2eoAu2nc0ct2so1uAnctscounts The financiTaThlOehinenffinofwiarnmnhacianciathciloioiaRnnnlfeOoiswnnrnemfhnotiwiacreomhthuiWoiRatcnetoheinsonleRcnnthtieheosnLieuWsnLttepiPoeolac,nuWghttthehLoeeLinhslPciapn,hthstadhLigesbeLepepiPhenea,andngstedhebpeexeenhtenitarnnadesdceexebntxaepettmdreeeanxincfnratdoeemeemdrxnisntft,rrTeaorerhecmsxe,tpaeroTemTdhrpwtiefoenreroTdetewemrwdsde,iTeFwtrhdheoiotepFuhuoonoTturduwqtnateudeqtdaiaeoultwdinaifoliicFtnLfhiaociLomtauiiumotniittonediqtn.daeu.d’tsai’oslainfaciccLccaioomtuiuoinntnett.ssd,,’s accounts, Copies of the accounts are available upon request. Copies of thCeoapciecosuonfttshaeraecacvoauinlatbslearuepaovnarileaqbuleesutp. on request. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 41

Aims and Objectives for 2022 Primary Objectives JUVENILE STOCKS : AIM FOR 2022 ACHIEVEMENT FOR 2022 Smolt tracking Investigate smolt survival in the river. Achieved. Smolt tracking was again carried out as a JUVENILE AND Organising the Gala Water as an index partnership project between Marine Scotland Science (MSS) ADULT STOCKS : river for the catchment. and three other Scottish rivers. 220 salmon smolts were Gala catchment tagged on the Gala Water and tracked down the river. A monitoring Future proofing the catchment preliminary report of the results is provided in the Tweed against increasing water Foundation annual report. ENVIRONMENT temperatures; identification of areas where tree planting would be most Partly achieved. The third year of annual electro-fishing MANAGEMENT effective in providing shade and using the NEPS sampling strategy was carried out, with PLAN working with others to target those results analysed by MSS and presented in this report. The areas as priority sites in which to make PIT tag antenna worked properly this year, with detections JUVENILE STOCKS : agreements with landowners for salmon and trout tagged in 2021 and 2022. The one Fry index and to undertake planting. remaining challenge is to tag enough smolts upstream electro-fishing Review the management plan for of the trap to measure its efficiency, which is being 2023 progressed in 2023. Continue the regular monitoring Partly achieved. Temperature monitoring data continues programme for juvenile salmon and to be collected as part of the Scottish River Temperature trout. Network, with data provided to Marine Scotland Science for their temperature modelling. Additional loggers were installed to monitor the effect of freshets, with preliminary data being used to inform the continuing study in 2023. The use of willow whips for cheap, quick planting, was trialled on the Upper Ettrick. The Tweed Foundation contributed to discussion in the climate change resilience group. Partly achieved. To carry out a comprehensive review of the management plan will take several months work, which has not been possible with competing priorities and a new biology team in place. While a review is needed, the bulk of our work relates to the primary and secondary objectives (based on the existing management plan), which is scrutinised by the technical review group . A management plan template was completed as a part of a national project to standardise data collection. The online technology used for the template will be used for the next Tweed fisheries management plan. Achieved. Monitoring of the Teviot, Till and Ettrick catchments was completed. 42 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Aims and Objectives for 2022 Secondary Objectives BROWN TROUT AIM FOR 2022 ACHIEVEMENT FOR 2022 AND GRAYLING BROWN TROUT Tracking of adult brown trout to Achieved. 20 brown trout were tagged and tracked. A AND GRAYLING identify migration patterns. presentation of the results can be found at :- ADULT STOCK https://youtu.be/Xy5QbU22gGA MONITORING Investigate Tweed trout stock structure. Not achieved. Discussions have commenced with Glasgow MONITORING University regarding a genetics study but need to be AND ANALYSIS OF Adult salmon sampling using rod progressed into a proposal. CATCH TRENDS fisheries trial. Achieved. The Tweed Foundation participated in the ADULT STOCK Determine the catchment of origin for national adult sampling programme which was funded by MONITORING Middle Tweed spring salmon using Marine Scotland Science to collect biometric data for adult floy tags with PIT tags attached and Salmon (length, weight and age). Sampling was carried out PIT readers installed in the Gala, Ettrick at Paxton netting station for live fish and for beats where and possibly the Leader (dependent salmon were killed. on tests to be carried out at the Ettrick counter this autumn). Not achieved. The manufacturer of the PIT detection equipment has visited and created a prototype to work Review data storage of salmon catch in the Ettrick fish pass, but with other work commitments records and trout data. for them, cannot develop the equipment any further until summer 2023. Partly achieved. All rod and net catch data from 1952 has been transposed into a database. The next stage is to automate outputs of figures and graphs that can go straight into the RTC annual report. Other AIM FOR 2022 ACHIEVEMENT FOR 2022 COMMUNITY To continue to provide access for less- Achieved. Wheelyboat provided when Covid restrictions CONSULTANCY able anglers through the provision of were lifted. EDUCATION wheelyboats. Achieved. Consultancy work was carried out primarily for To continue to deliver efficient, good Hawick flood protection scheme, with numerous fish rescues value biological survey facilities to carried out. Three wind farm surveys were carried out. developers and others on the river. Achieved. With the removal of Covid restrictions, Patrick To continue educational meetings Barbour has been actively working with a number of schools, and publications explaining the work developing education material to fit in with the curriculum. of the Foundation and the natural The visitor room, now known as The Ian Gregg Academy, has histories of our fish species to a wide been opened and ready for use. audience. To expand our work with schools under the ‘Go Wild for Fish’ banner. www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 43

Find Us on Social Media River Tweed website River Tweed Website www.rivertweed.org.uk In combination with our social media presence and The River newsletter, the new site represents an important step forward for improving our communication with fishing interests and the general public. With the site now live and all the information on one site, we hope it makes it easier for users to find all of the information they might be looking for. https://www.instagram.com/rivertweednews/ https://www.facebook.com/RiverTweedNews Watch Tweed TV After several years in the pipeline, 2021 saw the new River Tweed website go live. The River Tweed site brings the old River Tweed Commission, Tweed Foundation and River Tweed News sites all together into Videos and film clips of our work and information for anglers one. There is also a fishing section displaying information and catch figures for all fishing beats on the https://www.youtube.com/user/tweedfoundation River Tweed. In combination with our social media presence and The River newsletter, the new site represents an important step forward for improving our communication with fishing interests and the general public. With the site now live and all the information on one site, we hope it makes it easier for users to find all of the information they might be looking for. Our Services 45 The Tweed Foundation provides a range of biological and environmental consultancy services for both the private and public sectors in the Tweed District * Biological Surveys: Fish & lamprey populations; invertebrate populations *Data storage and mapping advice *Fish rescues *Environmental Impact Assessment surveys and monitoring *Scale reading and interpretation *Fisheries Management planning advice *Catch data analysis All our biological staff are trained, highly experienced and have extensive knowledge of the Tweed catchment. Bespoke data, collected for specific tasks, can often be matched and compared with other data from our long series of records which have been collected over many years. This can give a more robust picture of environmental factors than simply taking spot samples. 44 www.tweedfoundation.org.uk

Support : Friends of The Tweed Foundation 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: Annual Friendship £ 20 Joint Annual Friendship £ 30 Annual Benefactor £ 250 Postcode: Life Friendship £ 2,500 Tel: Mobile: Donation £ Email: TOTAL CHEQUE £ 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 and contact your bank: Name: [Please Print] To: [Bank Name] Of: [Full Address] Please pay: [Enter relevant membership fee in words] pounds to The Tweed Foundation (Sort Code 82-63-23, Account No. 00125078) on the 15th January [enter year] and each year thereafter until further notice. Signed: Dated: Account Name or Number: Sort Code: Please send a copy of this form for our records to: The Tweed Foundation, Drygrange Steading, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DJ www.tweedfoundation.org.uk 45







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