What do We Do?

What issues does the S&TA address?

Our work covers four keys areas:

• Management and conservation of the aquatic environment
• Management and conservation of salmonids and all other fish species of UK origin
• Research into relevant issues to support our advisory and influencing work
• Education

Fisheries in the United Kingdom are hugely diverse and rely on a wide range of river and stillwater habitats, a collective resource which is at the mercy of matters beyond any one interest group’s control – excessive water abstraction, land management practices, drainage, diffuse pollution, urban run-off and inadequately treated sewage, together with the inevitable confrontation between different water users in an overcrowded island. It is more important than ever, therefore, that those with an interest in the protection of our rivers, lakes and the species dependent on them, have a strong and effective organisation representing them when decisions are taken over the management and conservation of our wetlands.

The Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) influences issues relevant to fisheries at the highest level – within Government departments and agencies. Although established over one hundred years ago, the original brief for the Association was to improve the salmon and trout fisheries of the United Kingdom following degradation caused by the Industrial Revolution. Little has changed in the Association’s work today, except that the drivers for degraded fisheries habitat have transferred from the heavy industry of yore to the more modern impacts mentioned above.

Education is a high priority with S&TA, particularly in bringing the young into angling, teaching them etiquette and safety on the waterside and introducing them to environmental issues and the need to manage and conserve the aquatic environment, not just for fisheries people but for all those with an interest in the wellbeing of our rivers, lakes and marine habitats. S&TA Branches organise more than 100 local tuition days, from Caithness to Cornwall, introducing thousands of newcomers to the delights of angling and the water environment.

S&TA achievements

The following are issues over which we have made achievements, sometimes by ourselves, often in partnership with colleagues in other fisheries and conservation organisations:

• Persuaded the Government to review out-dated fisheries legislation, resulting in the publication in March 2008 of the Marine Bill, which includes clauses to update the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, broadly in line with our recommendations.
• Successfully negotiated a fisheries presence on Defra Stakeholder Groups concerning the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Catchment Sensitive Farming, and now represent all fisheries interests on those committees.
• Represent fisheries on the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) WFD National Liaison Panel.
• With colleagues from conservation and fisheries organisations, produced the Blueprint for Water, a ten point ask of Government for future water and aquatic environment management and conservation – many of these issues have been incorporated in Defra and EA water policy, and we continue to exert influence.
• Coordinated evidence and successfully lobbied Defra to temporarily withdraw cypermethrin sheep dips from the agricultural market, thereby saving the aquatic environment from their extreme toxic effects.
• Took a lead role in establishing the Riverfly Partnership, which aims to train anglers and other interested people to collect invertebrate samples from watercourses and undertake basic identification, enabling volunteer groups to become established to monitor the health and long-term trends of local rivers and lakes, and to identify sudden pollution incidents.
• Influenced the Environment Agency's national Trout & Grayling strategy for England & Wales.
• Influenced the Environment Agency's national Sea Trout & Salmon Strategy.
• As a member of the NASCO NGOs, consistently pressurised over four years the Irish Government through NASCO to finally close the Irish Drift Net Fishery in 2006.
• Produced an Access Policy which seeks to coordinate access to water for all users through locally-brokered Access Agreements, so that all are properly licenced and regulated, and pay towards management and conservation costs – with no one group being allowed to impact adversely on the enjoyment of another.
• Published and distributed the Brown Trout Big Book - aimed at younger and disadvantaged children to teach them of the life cycle of trout in the wild and the aquatic environment on which they depend – to 11,000 primary school throughout England and all 2,500 primary schools in Scotland and the Islands.
• Established an education programme whereby our Branch network organises more than 100 courses every year, introducing some 3,000 children to game angling, etiquette and safety on the water and an understanding of aquatic environmental issues and invertebrate monitoring
• Set up a countrywide programme to introduce young people to the joys of fly fishing.

Our priorities for the future

Ensure that the key clauses updating the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, contained within the Marine Bill published in March 2008, remain intact and are included in the final Act of Parliament, due to receive Royal Assent in May 2009.

Input fisheries and environmental advice and evidence to national stakeholder groups concerned with delivering the water Framework Directive (WFD) and Habitats Directive, and Defra’s Catchment Sensitive Farming programme.

Play a full part as Associate members of Wildlife & Countryside Link, the umbrella organisation representing the interests of more than 8 million members of conservation bodies - including the Blueprint for Water team, which aims to influence Government policies concerning the future management and conservation of water and the aquatic environment.

In particular, to continue to press for action over environmental issues affecting fisheries and the aquatic environment, particularly excessive water abstraction, diffuse pollution, sedimentation, inadequately treated sewage, endocrine disrupting chemicals, urban run-off and industrial pollution.

Continue to play a leading role in the Riverfly Partnership, which trains anglers and other interested people to collect invertebrate samples from watercourses and undertake basic identification. This enables volunteer groups to become established to monitor the health and long-term trends of local rivers and lakes, and to identify sudden pollution incidents. The Riverfly Partnership also seeks to undertake invertebrate conservation projects alongside our partners.

Input to the delivery of the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) Sea Trout and Salmon Strategy, and Trout and Grayling Strategy, and continue a positive input to all fish stock management and conservation issues, using, wherever possible, legislative drivers such as WFD and Habitats Directive.

Work with other international NGOs in the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) forum to further the aims of protecting and enhancing stocks of Atlantic salmon across the Northern hemisphere.

In Scotland, continue our campaign to facilitate the buy-out, on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, the remaining mixed stock salmon fisheries located around the Scottish coastline.

To continue enhancing our scientific research department to coordinate our specialist volunteer advisers and so produce professional responses to Government department and Agency consultations, and to produce briefing papers based on peer reviewed scientific evidence to support our policies and influencing work.

Build on our successful education programme, introducing newcomers, especially the young, to safe angling, correct angling etiquette and to environmental issues concerning water habitats and dependent species.