Tweed Trout and Grayling angling is administered in the Borders by the Tweed Angling Associations who are grouped together as the Federation of Border Angling Associations (FBAA) also known as the Angling Clubs. Angling policy, that is the methods of fishing and the numbers of fish that can be taken from the system, is based upon subjective judgements of the clubs and is not related to the natural productivity of the rivers. Indeed for many years the Associations have been boosting the fish available for angling by stocking with farmed trout and using this as the criteria for selling fishing tickets. This is now generally considered to be unsustainable and may even be depressing the natural wild stocks of trout.

This Initiative is based on a consortium of local Angling Clubs, the Tweed Foundation, local communities and natural historians to create self sustaining management of the wild trout and grayling fisheries in the Tweed. It is a flagship project and an example to other national and international fisheries managers setting a framework and a beacon for community management of local fisheries at a new level. It will target the young, as well as those with an existing interest, linking to the Bridging the Borders education project (part of the Heritage Lottery funded Tweed Rivers Heritage Project) and microbusinesses connected with Fisheries.

Proposal for THE TWEED TROUT AND GRAYLING MANAGEMENT PLAN.pdf (43k)