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Salmon Success Story - The Sixmilewater River System - Jan 05

Antrim and District Angling Association have had remarkable success in restoring salmon to the Sixmilewater River system. The Sixmilewater River is a tributary of Lough Neagh with a catchment of 117 square miles, and has a salmon Conservation Limit of 1,013 fish.

Salmon had virtually disappeared from the river by the early part of the 20th Century. Local anglers, concerned about the poor state of the river, got together in the late 1950s and formed the Antrim and District Angling Association. They identified the main problems as pollution, habitat degradation through drainage works and obstructions mainly weirs built in the 19th Century for water power to supply the numerous mills in the area.

The club obtained trespass rights from riparian owners, and restocked the river with trout from the Ulster Angling Federation hatchery at Mallusk. Regulations to control methods of fishing and number of fish caught, together with protection of the river from poaching and pollution enabled the native brown trout and Dollaghan (Lough Neagh trout) numbers to improve substantially by the 1970s. However the Association did not have the resources to tackle the main problems facing the fishery.

A major opportunity came in the late 1990s when Sports Lottery, and Peace and Reconciliation, funding became available. Fish surveys established that only a small number of salmon were present, inhabiting only one of the 6 main spawning tributaries. Few salmon were caught by anglers in most years, often less than ten.

A grant was obtained from the Sports Lottery to purchase most of the fishing rights on the river. This enabled the club to seek compensation from polluters who caused fish kills on the river. The Association recently received compensation for one fish kill. Over the last 6 years, over £250,000 in E.U. Peace and Reconciliation funding has been obtained to develop the fishery. This enabled the Association to begin to put right the degradation identified some 50 years earlier.

Association committee members past and present contributed countless hours of their free time ensuring this development programme took place;

4 fish passes were installed (to enable passage over weirs )
Angling pools were created/improved
Habitat for spawning and juvenile fish was created/improved in the main river and tributaries
Trees were planted and access for anglers improved
Juvenile salmon and trout were obtained by taking brood stock from the river to the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure hatchery at Bushmills. These were planted throughout the river system in areas where stocks were low or not present
In 2001 a buy out of most of the commercial salmon sea nets on the north Antrim coast was jointly funded by The Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and the North Atlantic Salmon Fund. Antrim and District Angling Association contributed substantially to this buy out fund.

Success came more rapidly than the Association had dared hope for;

2002 Over 100 salmon caught by anglers

2003 Over 50 salmon caught by anglers

2004 Over 200 salmon caught by anglers

In order to enhance future salmon numbers, anglers released alive back into the river over half of these fish.

The river now attracts growing numbers of angling visitors/tourists. Money raised from the day ticket sales has enabled the club to employ a full time manager for the fishery. In 2004 he was able to locate numerous pollution sources, and details were passed to the Environment Service for action. A number of anglers were detected fishing without a licence /permit who will be prosecuted in due course. 46 salmon and trout spawned on one particular 100m long section of river where habitat improvements were completed in October 2004. This work will continue in 2005 and will include an area designed for access by wheelchair bound anglers. Our thanks are due to the excellent support from Antrim Council, DCAL and riparian owners, in our efforts to improve the river. The local economy has benefited from the number of visitors coming into the area to fish.

All this has been achieved at a time when salmon stocks are deteriorating throughout their range in the North Atlantic. The rivers in the Republic of Ireland have had their worst year ever in 2004 and scientists are advising a closure of fisheries in around half of their rivers

The run of salmon in 2004 into the Sixmilewater River probably exceeded its Conservation Limit for the first time in over 100 years. Much remains to be done, funding is needed to improve fish passage over several obstructions, provide a fish counter and further habitat improvements. Pollution continues to be a major concern, as does salmon netting on Lough Neagh and by drift nets licensed by the Foyle Fishery administration.

The lesson from this experience to restore/improve salmon stocks in a river is to take a holistic approach through enlightened management, improve habitat, restock, reduce exploitation, and minimise river pollution. The improvement in the Sixmilewater River system is a practical demonstration that with a determined effort, maintained over the years, success can be achieved with the benefits to be enjoyed by the whole community.

Note
The conservation limit is the number of spawners required to maximise the next generation.

Season Permit
Senior Season Game Ticket £100
Junior Season Game Ticket £20
these tickets must be applied for from the
Treasurer
Walter Lismore
Kilmakee Road
Templepatrick
BALLYCLARE
Co. Antrim
BT39 0EP
Tel: 028 9024 1818