Aims

The aims of the Initiative are

            I: To strengthen the biodiversity of the stocks of native Brown-trout and Grayling in the Tweed and its tributaries by gathering better information on them and their environment as a base for more directed and intensive conservation and management

            II: To improve the Brown-trout and Grayling angling of the Tweed and its tributaries through knowledge-based management

            III: To increase the satisfaction of Brown-trout and Grayling anglers on the Tweed and tributaries by gathering information on what they regard as “good fishing” so that management decisions and practices can be directed towards meeting their requirements.

It is likely that there are a variety of different and distinct fish stocks, of varying strength, within the Trout and Grayling populations of  the Tweed catchment which need managing in  slightly different ways in terms of their habitat and the level of fishing pressure that they can sustain. Basic research by the Tweed Foundation has been and is directed to finding this out. Whilst the project will use this research, it is not itself a research proposal. The strength of the wild resouce will be established by this project and the type and intensity of the fishing that can be sustained will then be the basis for marketing, especially through the FishTweed project.

The actions of the Consortium would be based on past findings from this fundamental research and would extend it in terms of improving understanding of the pressures angling puts on what stocks.  The social dimension of Tweed trout angling would be studied for the first time, with surveys of how anglers use their waters, how they perceive their fishing is at present and how they would like it to be in the future. This last information would then set the aims for fishery managers or, if angler expectations were found to be unreasonable for wild populations, then the aim would be to change those expectations to fit reality.

It is expected that the initiative will lead the way in Brown-trout and Grayling fishery management on many Scottish rivers. It has the wholehearted support of both the River Tweed Commissioners and Tweed Foundation who have pledged to support the move.

Additionally, the Initiative is also supported by The Grayling Society (www.graylingsociety.org) and The Wild Trout Trust (www.wildtrout.org).