The brown trout fishing season opened this week with a warning from Ness District Salmon Fishery Board for anglers not to stray into criminality.
A brace of typical brown trout
The rivers and lochs of the Ness system offer great fishing but Chris Conroy, director of the Ness Board, stressed: “We’re anxious that people do not inadvertently fall foul of the law.”
He explained: “fishing for trout or other freshwater fish in Scotland without the permission of the owner of the fishing right is a civil offence, and in some cases may be a criminal offence as well”
“In particular loch fisheries that are owned by a single owner or run under a Protection Order are given the protection of the criminal law.”
The Board’s team of water bailiffs, who have powers of arrest, search and seizure, police the Ness system with powers under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.
A Ness District Salmon Fishery Board water bailiff on patrol
Mr Conroy said: “While someone can use a single hand-held rod and line for fishing for trout from the shore or when wading, the use of multiple rods or those not held by hand is illegal.
“On a boat, no more than four rods can be used at any time. The use of minnows or other live vertebrates as bait or lure is also illegal, as is using fish roe, fire or light.
“Offenders risk receiving a large fine and a criminal record, so we’re keen that no one is caught this season through ignorance of the rules.”
Sea trout, he points out, receive the same legal protection as salmon and it is a criminal offence to fish for them without permission from the owner of fishing rights. This extends 1.5 kilometres out to sea.
The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board is part of the Moray Firth Trout Initiative, aiming to protect trout through environmental education and the conservation of trout populations and the habitat.