Food & Drink FOOD & DRINK O
ver a lunch with David Pakes, ex police superintendent turned commercial fisherman
and a life member of the Dart Angling Association, I learned a huge amount about the state of fishing on the Dart, the health of the river and the pressures facing those who wish to conserve the river and everything in it.
David has fished the Dart for over 40 years and has seen huge changes in that period. Once a thriving commercial fishery, the Dart’s fish stocks, in particular salmon and brown trout, have declined dramatically over the past century. Currently, even sea trout stocks are giving cause for concern. In 1900, the combined rod and net salmon catches amounted to around 5,000 fish. By 2006 that figure has fallen to 200 salmon caught with most of that number, including 90% of the rod caught total, released. Last year around 80 were caught. Until the late 80’s, 15 netting licences were issued each year providing a living for many families, now there are only three salmon nets on the river. Those stark figures focus the mind clearly on the issues of conservation. I was very surprised by these figures. When I’m out on the river canoeing or rowing I often think it looks very healthy. There seems to be a heron on the bank every 50 meters, a growing population of little egrets, kingfishers making regular appearances, resident seals and plenty of cormorants. All these rely on fish for food so should be some indication of a healthy environment. However, whilst the constant ebb and flow of the tide brings in plenty of food at the seaward end of the river, and gives the river a twice daily flush through, the story further up is rather different. At the upper end of the Dart, where trout and salmon spawn, the ecology of the river has been seriously affected, often by human intervention in one way or
David Pakes
by David Jones from Manna from Devon Cooking School
RIVER DART SALMON AND SEA TROUT, A RARE TREAT THESE DAYS
In 1900, the combined rod and net salmon catches amounted to around 5,000 fish. By 2006 that figure has fallen to 200 salmon..
another. Salmon and trout these days are beset by many challenges: Abstraction: this is the removal of water for drinking water and irrigation. This, along with the draining of marshland on Dartmoor which act as natural reservoirs, have reduced river flows in the upper reaches of the Dart, the spawning grounds for salmon and trout. Fertilisers: although many of the nastier fertilisers have now been banned, run off into the river means that river weed grows far more readily than was previously the case. More weed leads to more silting up of the river and loss of habitat. Pollution: pollution comes from a variety of sources. Waste water from sewerage plants, although treated, may still contain chemicals, hormones and enzymes which survive the treatment process. These chemical have a variety of impacts including altering the fishes’ hormones and preventing them from breeding. Industrial spills have impacted the river from time to time including detergents and sheep dip residues from wool treatment plants. The chemicals spilt can remain in the environment for many years after the initial incident has been forgotten. Conflicting environmental interests: The Dart Estuary is
a designated bass nursery so bass cannot be taken from the river. Their stocks are now healthy but they are a predatory species and will happily feed on young salmon and trout smolt as they return to the sea.
Recreation: many people, myself included, enjoy the river in all sorts of ways. However, yachts discharge sewerage into the river and occasionally spill oil, fuel or antifouling treatments. Canoeists and swimmers on the Upper Dart may disturb spawning areas. Poaching: poachers take fish from the river every
contd. over
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