Publication Abstract

Catch and Release on The Little Gruinard, a Spate River

Catch and Release on The Little Gruinard, a Spate River in Wester Ross

A.M. Walker and  A.F. Walker

Due to widespread concern over declining stock levels, catch and release of wild salmon is either mandatory or encouraged in many rod-fisheries throughout Europe and North America. Concerns remain regarding the survival of released salmon in such fisheries. This paper describes a radio tracking study conducted on the Little Gruinard River (Wester Ross) in 1990 to assess the survival to spawning of rod-caught and released salmon; this was the first attempt to use this approach in the UK. Twenty-five salmon were caught and radio tagged between late June and late August. Two radio-tagged fish were killed (angler/otter), one was tracked returning to sea and thirteen were located in the river catchment at spawning time. Of the remainder, six disappeared from locations within the river and were never relocated whilst three tags were periodically located at the mouth of the river. These results are discussed in the context of the possible survival of the released fish to spawning.

A.M. Walker* and A.F. Walker

In: Lyndon AR (ed.), Catch and Release; Atlantic salmon in the UK. Edinburgh, Institute of Fisheries Management, Scottish Branch. pp. 30-36.