Bladnoch Fisheries Management Plan

The River Bladnoch is a medium sized river in Dumfries and Galloway. It flows out of Loch Maberry on the Ayrshire/Galloway border and joins the Solway at Wigtown Bay. The river is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for its Atlantic salmon population. More information on the River Bladnoch SAC can be found  here , whilst more information on the protection afforded by an SAC designation can be found  here .

The  Bladnoch District Salmon Fishery Board  has statutory powers and duties to protect and improve Atlantic salmon and Sea trout fisheries within the Bladnoch catchment. It produces an annual report and audited accounts which are presented at their AGM. The Bladnoch DSFB has a close relationship with its local fisheries trust, the  Galloway Fisheries Trust  (GFT). Through the trust, the board can work towards gathering the information required to manage the fishery and carry out habitat improvement/restoration works. As a result of its modest rateable value, the Bladnoch DSFB has very limited powers in regards to financing research and conservation within their district. However, GFT work on their behalf to access external funding to help carry out additional work.

DSFB's have legal powers for the purpose of protecting the fisheries within their district, with many DSFB's employing full or part time bailiffs. Due to the relatively low financial value of the Bladnoch fishery it can not employ a full, or part time, bailiff. The main policing of the river comes in the form of anglers reporting any issues they see directly to the police.

Like most rivers, many of the factors impacting fish populations on the River Bladnoch extend well beyond just the watercourses and onto the greater catchments the river drains. As such, the Bladnoch DSFB/GFT work with a number of public and private bodies to achieve changes that will benefit the Bladnoch's native fish populations. These include government organisations, NGO's and private land owners. Many of the issues impacting fish populations in the Bladnoch are a direct result of human land use with no simple solutions. Whist individual restoration and management projects have done much to improve conditions within the river, consultation in land management plans and multi-partner/sector projects, with benefits which expand beyond just fish populations, are amongst the most useful options for achieving large scale change.

Organisations involved in the management of the River Bladnoch include:

 SEPA  are responsible for monitoring and regulating of our air, land and water. They advise the government, public and industry on environmental best practice. As the national regulator for the Scottish environment SEPA has its own responsibilities towards protecting and restoring rivers and lochs. It currently works towards The  Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan  which includes the River Bladnoch. As part of the plan, it grades the condition of waterbodies within rivers and aims to improve conditions within those that are considered to be in poor ecological condition. SEPA aims to improve the ecological condition in 172 Solway rivers, burns and lochs. It works with a number of partners to achieve its outcomes.

 Forestry and Land Scotland   (FLS) is a government agency who manage state owned forestry on behalf of the Scottish government. They own large areas of commercial forestry located in the upper Bladnoch catchments.

NatureScot are involved in the management of SAC's in Scotland. The primary reason for the selection of the Bladnoch as an SAC is due to the Atlantic salmon population within the river, which unusually for Galloway rivers still supports a population that returns to the river as adults during spring. SAC's in Scotland are designated by Scottish Ministers under the EC Habitats Directive. They are afforded protection through the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended).

The River Bladnoch is home to a number of both native and non-native fish species. They include:

Whilst salmon rod catches are used as an indication of adult salmon abundance by the Marine Directorate to categorise rivers in regards to adult Atlantic salmon exploitation (as described earlier), various life stages of salmon and trout (primarily) are also monitored by GFT and some of the government agencies.

There is limited on-going development of the Bladnoch fishery. However, like many other Scottish rivers, many of the Bladnoch and Tarf fishing beats are advertised on the Fishpal website. The Galloway page on the Fishpal website can be found  here .

GFT carries out educational work on behalf of DSFB's, with many projects covering multiple DSFB areas across (including the Bladnoch DSFB) west and central Galloway. The number of educational projects that can be undertaken at any given time is directly related to the available funding. As such there can, at times, be prolonged periods where no educational work is ongoing. Some examples of educational work carried out by GFT, that covered work within the Bladnoch DSFB area, include the  GFT Education Programme on the European Eel , Salmon in the Classroom and  Save the Sparling .