Anglers' plea to Stormont's DAERA after trout and salmon conservation initiative refused

A County Antrim angling club has expressed concern and disappointment over a decision that prevents them from using a hatchery that they say would help boost numbers of the Dollaghan Trout and salmon.

Kells, Connor and Glenwherry Angling Club set up a hatchery in 2015 which was operational with the correct licence for several years, but in 2020, their permit to use it was refused.

This year, the club has attempted to apply for the licence, but it was again refused.

This has left them confused because they say the government had helped them set up their hatchery in the first place, and that there are examples of success stories elsewhere.

The club says that back in 2015, Stormont's Department for Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs predecessor DARD (Department for Agriculture and Rural Development) had donated equipment while they set up their hatchery, namely incubator trays.

Several members also recall receiving training from the department as regards running a hatchery, adding to their confusion over the latest decision to refuse permission to use the facility that the government once supported during set-up.

DAERA, which was formed in 2016, told UTV that if equipment was donated it likely was a long time ago and at a time when the impact of hatcheries had not been fully understood.

Adding to the frustration, members say, is seeing “successful projects across Scotland and Wales having a major positive impact,” referring to hatchery programmes on the Welsh River Dee, the Wye, The Scottish Dee, The Cree and the River Spey.

 What are Dollaghan Trout?

These are a variety of brown trout native to Lough Neagh and many of its tributaries. They spend much of the year in the lough, returning to the rivers in autumn to spawn. 

They are muscular fish with pink flesh, described by local angler Matthew Warrick as “unique, special and protected, part of the ecosystem of the Lough”.

Are they in trouble?

Anglers on Kellswater report dropping numbers of these, and are concerned about the future of this prized fish.

“I've been fishing the river since I was very, very small - just under 40 years,” said Mr Warrick.

“These are the lowest numbers of Dollaghans that we've seen along the river in a long, long time. 

“And it's not just the numbers, the fish that are being caught. Our anglers are reporting and photographing that they are a lot leaner. They look underfed, malnourished,” he said.

“Usually at this time of the year, we would have seen hundreds if not thousands of Dollaghans running the river. Not this year, we’re seeing less and less numbers.”

He wonders if the situation is linked to the blue/ green algal bloom in Lough Neagh. He believes this may have impacted the trout directly, but says they have also noticed it has forced some birds like cormorants from the Lough to further up the tributaries in search of food.

What is the club trying to do?

The club wants to continue to operate a hatchery that they built, at the cost of tens of thousands of pounds, in 2015. However, their application to collect and stock both salmon and trout was declined.

Three hundred ‘brood stock’ - 200 hens and 100 cocks - are taken from the river and placed in tanks containing water flowing in from the river around October/ November time.

When they are ready to spawn, the eggs are stripped from the hens, fertilised by the cock fish, and these eggs are placed into incubator trays. They’ll stay there for around 90 days, and shortly after that they’ll start to hatch.

Then, they’ll grow from this ‘alevin’ stage into the  ‘fry’ stage, and then they are released back into the water.

They are not fed during this process, they eat what’s in the water as they would in the wild.

Having grown in this river’s water, they become imprinted, meaning this is where they will find their way back to when they migrate upstream to spawn again.

Club river enhancement officer Gareth Cooper says he believes this natural but protected environment means it reduces the risk of eggs being washed away in flooding or predators eating the eggs, thus increasing the survival rate of the fry to boost the population.

The club was using this method in the new hatchery with the relevant permission between 2015 and 2020 before their applications started to get rejected.

“It’s important we get this up and running again to protect the fish stocks,” Mr Cooper said.

“DAERA says that the fish that we rear here may not be as healthy and may actually do damage to the river, but we have data showing that whenever this hatchery was up and running, the fry count in the river far exceeded where it is now.

“We do see a great benefit to our river, our anglers are seeing fish returning to the river every year,” he said.

Why does DAERA object now?

The department says their evidence is that “wild brood fish used in a hatchery are better left in the wild to spawn.”

The rejection letter stated: “The Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs, Inland Fisheries Inspectorate, Technical Advisory Group noted that the scientific advice from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute remains that the proposed stocking of Trout fry would produce no net gain to Trout numbers in the river in the best case scenario and at worst case could result in complete loss in recruitment of fry due to competition by genetically fitter wild fry. 

“In summary it would be 'robbing Peter to pay Paul', the letter read.

A further statement to UTV read: “DAERA has adopted the internation practice set out by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) that has recently completed a review of stocking programmes.”

“Their working group report states that “the empirical evidence shows that the risks associated with stocking often outweigh any perceived biological / ecological benefits,” it continued. 

“Stocking should not be used as a first option to address concerns about fish stocks, rather the focus of angling clubs and other stakeholders should be to address the issues that may be having an impact on fish stocks, such as water quality, poor habitat, barriers to fish passage, etc. 

“Stocking should only be considered as a last resort, for a finite period of time, and only where a population of fish is at risk of extirpation or close to extirpation. 

“This is not the case with Kellswater River. 

“The department’s view remains that the proposed stocking of fry would produce no net gain to fish stock numbers in the river in the best case scenario, and in the worst case could result in a complete loss in recruitment of hatchery fry due to competition by genetically fitter wild fry. “

 Will DAERA reconsider this application?

Gareth Cooper was asked during his UTV interview what his message to DAERA would be.

“My appeal to DAERA is, please please let us to get out s14 to lift our brood stick this year, we just want to ensure our fish stocks and preserve our river and keep these wonderful fish returning annually,” he said.

“The Department has sought further information on some of the initiatives mentioned by the club, which will be fully assessed once we receive it,” a statement said.

 It went on to reiterate that their evidence finds “the risks associated with stocking often outweigh any perceived biological / ecological benefits”.

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