The Aberdeenshire Dee is not only an early-season fishing heaven for Norwegian anglers but has, over many years, provided invaluable infomation and knowledge to riparian owners from different parts of Norway.
Last week a group of 20 river owners and managers from five rivers in central and northern Norway visited the Dee. Their prime interest was in learning about the Dee’s revival since the dramatic low catches of the early 1990s. The focus was on the work done to improve habitat and enrich spawning conditions. They were also interested in the work in biology and science to determine and control the effect of work on the river – and not least how these actions gel with the total effect of catch and release.
Ken Reid examines the Dee’s recovery and discusses with eager Norwegian river managers
Harald Oyen prepared the agenda with Ken Reid, River Dee’s Development Officer. The Norwegian visitors were highly satisfied with the three days’ intensive programme of lectures, presentations and field excursions.
The latter included visits to the famous Dee beats Carlogie and Ballogie with gillie Sean Stanton, and the Monaltrie and Lower Invercauld beats where Ian Murray gave an interesting update in his fishing hut on present fishing and how highly he values the present Dee management team and staff.
Jon Kjelden, chairman of ErT (Elvene rundt Trondheimsfjorden/Rivers on the Trondheimfjord) said: “This is the third trip that ErT has arranged for its member rivers. Each time we realise more and more the importance of following the lead of the River Dee management regarding habitat improvement combined with catch and release – and the support from scientific evidence of what works best. The Dee board and staff have set the world benchmark in river management terms.”
Although these visits come during the busy spring fishing period, Ken Reid was keen to help and remarked, “We are happy to contribute to the conservation of wild Atlantic salmon stocks worldwide and we can clearly show what can be achieved, in a relatively short timescale, when returning adults are preserved and habitat improved. Hopefully, our story may help Norwegian’s come to terms with, and implement, catch and release as well as encourage them in the fight against sea netting —which we have managed to eradicate in our waters to the benefit of increased salmon stock and numbers of happy anglers.”
As a thankyou River Dee staff are invited next summer to visit some of the Norwegian rivers.
For further details contact:
Harald Oyen, FishNorwayAS, IP tel, Norway 31410267
Tel: 0044 (0) 1257464805
Mob: 0044 (0) 7429487659
Skype: harald-oyen
