In conjunction with the SPEY FISHERY BOARD (http://www.speyfisheryboard.com), RSAA will be holding an auction at the RSAA AGM to be held 17 January 2008. The proceeds of this auction will go to the Kyle of Sutherland Fisheries Trust to help fund a sea trout project covering an area from the Kyle of Sutherland to the River Spey and River Deveron. Details of this exciting project can be seen below in an extract of a letter from the Project Director, Pete Campbell.
We are asking members donate a lot to the auction. This may be a days fishing, an evening roe stalking, shooting or other sporting activity, an item of tackle or any other appropriate lot that would of interest to like-minded members. If you are able to do this please contact Denise Bedson by email: home@bedson.go-plus.net giving a description of the lot and expected target price, your name, address and telephone number.
Lots will be listed on this Web site and members and non members who are unable to attend the AGM may make an email bid home@bedson.go-plus.net to Denise in advance of the auction. However, in this case, the highest bid on the evening will secure the lot. The auctioneer on the evening will be Roger Knight, Director of the Spey Fishery Board.
As a bonus, The Kyle Sutherland Fisheries Trust has promised to try to match any monies that we raise at the auction through each appropriate Local Enterprise Company.
Extract from Kyle of Sutherland Fisheries Trust Letter:
To Chairman/Secretary of all Angling Associations within the Moray Firth Catchment
Dear Sir/Madam
26 July 2007
Moray Firth Sea Trout Project
I am writing to you for two reasons, firstly to let you know about a new initiative that is being established to try and safeguard and enhance the sea trout stocks in the rivers from the Kyle of Sutherland in the north to the Spey in the south: secondly to seek your support.
For years most concern and management on our rivers has been aimed at salmon stocks, but the sea trout, which has often been treated a bit like Cinderella, deserves to be taken more seriously. Although concern for sea trout on the West Coast has resulted in quite a lot of coordinated action because of the obvious problems caused by the salmon farming industry, little attention has been paid to the plight of sea trout stocks in the Moray Firth.
To address the issue and to try and reverse the trend in sea trout fortunes, all District Fisheries Boards and Fishery Trusts from Kyle of Sutherland to the River Spey including Alness, Conon, Beauly, Ness and the Findhorn are supporting a programme that is planned to be established next year (2008) with aims to employ a dedicated specialist to gather information and put together practical guidance for the restoration of stocks on a catchment by catchment basis.
The cost of the project, which will last a minimum of three years and is likely to kick start a lot of separate projects on each river in the future, is being shared between a number of other organisations in addition to the Boards and Trusts. Scottish Hydro-Electric has committed £5,000 per annum for three years and both the Atlantic Salmon Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage are likely to do the same.
Can I ask you to look at this within your club and raise it at your next committee meeting.
Of course the other major contribution to this project would be the knowledge from your membership and voluntary help with locally based enhancement projects in the future. It would also demonstrate great support if your Association was able to consider granting a small annual bursary each year to the project of, £100 - £200. We will also invite your membership to participate in the project by providing our researcher with catch information and return of data from tagged fish
Please could you send your reply to Pete Campbell at the address on this letter as he is coordinating the project. A member of management committee will contact you in the near future to discuss detail.
Signed by
Pete Campbell