We just can't sit back and wait!
Disturbing times.. this is the feeling of many anglers throughout Scotland as again, and this time worse, the missing Seatrout runs.
As most of you will be aware I have highlighted this subject quite a few times in previous years, expressing my concerns, but I had no reason to expect things to get this bad.
What we are seeing this year are a few larger seatrout to around 5 lbs which are in very good condition, however the fewer and smaller seatrout are in very poor condition and like the grilse are thin and emaciated. A test sample of fish was removed from Stonehaven bay a few weeks ago by the Marine Laboratory at Torry, Aberdeen and their initial finding were similar. A more detailed report will follow and I await the results with great interest.
Where we go from here is a subject of much discussion, but I am of the opinion that we cannot just sit back and wait. Popular opinion is that the vast sand eel fishing going on in the North sea is the villain and that it is time that the various Government Departments get off their backsides and do something about this before we have a similar situation to that of the devastated Seabird colonies on Scotland's coastlines. It is foolishness of the highest order to allow the overfishing of food species of the birds and fish and we must all now rise and protest as never before. I beg you all to lobby, write or otherwise contact you councellors, MPs. and MSPs. or indeed any person who has any say in angling legislation. Another action which would be appropriate would be to write to Trout and salmon magazine or any other such publication. This disaster must be brought to the very front of all angling matters and immediately.
I have just returned from two weeks on the Greek island of Crete and was fascinated to be there as the migrating House Martins arrived on the Island and there they rested for four days and nights in the trees around the Hotels and Apartments. The trees were full to capacity with these tiny birds and woe betide any car which was parked below. This was fascinating to me as I work at Edzell Castle which is famous for it's breeding colony of House Martins and Swallows, and it would be nice to think that these little beauties in Crete were indeed some of mine. On the fifth evening they were gone, I assume off over the Southern Mediterranean and on to North Africa where they spend the winter before once again coming back all those miles to Edzell. Bon Voyage.
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Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
