Dart 2023 migratory fish numbers and returns

[johnesmithson]

Sadly no mention of the Dart in Mike Weaver's end of season roundup in the latest T&S.
Sounds like the Teign had a few salmon and fairly good numbers of peal, I'm pleased for them.
It is difficult to know what is happening on the Dart. DAA have very little up to date information on their website, and there are not yet any publicly available catch returns for this season just gone. The EA recorded 1 salmon (yes 1) caught from the Dart by rod and line in 2022. Sea trout rod numbers unknown.
Wasn't the new fish pass at Totnes supposed to allow monitoring of upstream movements?
Any news of redds?
Living in hope....!

[terry]

I’ve rejoined the DAA this year after a 20 odd year absence. The main reason being that the association is trying to promote the brown trout fishing.
I believe that this is due to the catastrophic decline in the number of Salmon over the last few years, the cause of which is largely unknown although I’m personally convinced that the turbines at Totnes weir have had an impact.
With regard to the fish counter I’m led to believe that this is still operational but can’t find any figures for last year. The DAA have had some management changes and once things have settled down I’m sure figures will be available.

[johnesmithson]

Interesting, thank you Terry. I have just had a look at the DAA website, and for the first time that I can remember they have no waiting list for new members in 2024, not just brown trout but even for sea trout or salmon. Furthermore, there is no joining fee either. If the migratory fish do make a comeback, I will be tempted!

[terry]

I must admit the no joining fee caught my interest and the £135 ( BT ticket) also includes fishing on all the Duchy waters so it was as they say a no brainer for me.
After 30 odd years wobbling about on the moor I thought a little less testing lower down the catchment would suit me this year.
Roll on the 15th March.

[johnesmithson]

This recent post on the DAA website might give some more (extremely depressing) context...


dartaa.org.uk/what-fish

[terry]

Depressing indeed Johnny. It’s amazing how this is happening in a relatively short time. Not just salmon but sea trout as well.
Interesting letter from a guy in Devon in this months trout and salmon magazine claiming a possible cause maybe the massive increase in blue fin tuna off the south Devon/ Cornwall coast. Maybe more realistic than my half arsed theory of the turbine system at Totnes weir pool not helping. After all that didn’t seem to deter the two seals that were happily lunching on something the other afternoon.

[johnesmithson]

I’m not sure I buy the theory that tuna are selectively eating salmonids which must make up only a tiny proportion of the total available marine biomass. Also, wouldn’t a mature fish be quite a big mouthful, even for a tuna? Unless we are talking about them taking outgoing smolts. But are the tuna here in the spring to do that? However I could believe that the tuna’s arrival is a sign of a dramatic change in marine conditions, maybe something as simple as a rise in mean temperature which makes it an unfriendly place for fish which are returning from the Arctic. Maybe that could explain the salmon side of things. Sea trout have different problems I reckon, including disease in the case of the Dart.

[boisker]

I very much doubt it has anything to do with Tuna, the tuna stocks are still in the recovery stage.

It amazes me people have already started to talk about utilising the Blue fin fishery. They should be left alone to recover, we pretty much obliterated the Atlantic fishery once, you’d think we could learn from that and leave them alone…. I’m not optimistic though😏

www.mcsuk.org/news/bluefin-tuna-an-ocean-giant-on-the-rise/

[Pete Tyjas]

I'm by no means an expert but where I fish both sea trout and salmon numbers have been low.

Could this indicate that, amongst everything else, that smolts are being predated on both in the river and as they move downstream into the estuary/sea?

[terry]

I don’t really think that tuna do have a serious effect on returning salmon & sea trout and I agree that at the moment blue fins should be left alone. We are always too eager to exploit any situation like this.
Something is drastically wrong though, especially on the river dart, and I fear that there is not one simple answer. Pete raises a good point and there is some evidence to support this but I’m sure there must be more whether it’s climate change ( now surely indisputable) pollution ( unlikely on the dart) or a combination of all.
The sad fact is that the Atlantic salmon is now classed as an endangered species.

[boisker]

I imagine all of the above have an impact…. Death by a thousand cuts😟