The official sold-out opening ceremony of the River Tay salmon fishing season was held in cold but sunny conditions near Kinclaven Bridge yesterday.
Always a popular fixture in the calendar, the opening is hosted by the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board (TDSFB), Meikleour Fishings and Perth and Kinross Council.
Making the first casts of the season – after popping a magnum of Pol Roger Champagne – was renowned actor and musician Burn Gorman, assisted by author David Profumo.
The opening ceremony was held in the morning by the Meikleour boathouse, immediately downstream of Kinclaven Bridge.
The procession of anglers to the river were led by the Perth and District Pipe Band, headed by Pipe Major Alistair Duthie.
The traditional blessing of the boat and river – with a silver quaich of Glenturret Triple Wood whisky – was performed by Provost Xander McDade.
Proceeds from fishing at Meikleour on opening day are being donated to the charity Angling For Youth Development and the Tay Rivers Trust.
As the new season dawned, the Tay District Salmon Fishery Board said it looked forward to the Scottish Government’s imminent implementation plan for the Wild Salmon Strategy.
Claire Mercer Nairne, TDSFB member and owner of the Meikleour Fishings, said: “At the start of a new salmon season we always feel some optimism.
“However, we are of course intensely aware that our salmon numbers are well down on what they used to be. The TDSFB and the Tay Rivers Trust are seeking to do what they can to improve things.
“It is now exactly a year since the Scottish Government announced its ‘high level’ Wild Salmon Strategy.
“This is a unique initiative that recognises how our iconic wild salmon are in crisis and seeks to prioritise work for their restoration. We are now awaiting the Scottish Government’s implementation plan to kickstart the strategy.
“This plan is now imminent and we very much hope that it will give appropriate urgency to tackling the issues that we cannot undertake directly as they require action from other bodies and agencies.”
Dr David Summers, TDSFB director, added: “We are looking forward in particular to expediting improvements to long-standing problems such as water abstraction and barriers to fish migration, which are the responsibility of SEPA, throughout the Tay’s huge catchment.
“A good example is the long-standing water abstraction issue on the River Ericht at Blairgowrie. Whilst improvements have been made, still, in recent dry summers, salmon really struggle in shallow hot water.
“The implementation plan should finally enable such thorny issues to be dealt with.”
