Grayling Society

Conservation

Monitoring of and long-term sustainability of UK grayling fisheries.

In 2001, the Environment Agency (EA), in collaboration with the Grayling Society, trialed an ambitious scheme attempting to monitor grayling stocks and fishery perfor-mance throughout the UK. As a Society that seeks to care for the welfare of the grayling, we should all be grateful for the effort put in to protect this species.

The study aims to monitor and compare the performance of grayling fisheries across England, Wales and Scotland and gain insight into the current status of our grayling stocks. This inform-ation, collected over a number of years, will help to inform and direct management of this important species and advance the scientific knowledge that underpins it.

The scheme is now in it’s fourth year of a minimum five year period and is beginning to provide the quality of information required to build up a picture of fishery performance, relative stock levels and size composition. This helps identify populations that are flourishing or those that appear unbalanced and potentially under threat.

The scheme is very easy to join and requires a maximum of a few minutes of your time when you go angling for grayling. You can join now by simply contacting your CPO. The booklet that you will receive is very easy to complete but could just prove to be the difference between the long-term sustainability of our fisheries and their possible demise. You will also receive tapes to measure your catch (divided into seven size categories) and a brief summary report from last season. Results are presented by region and with appendices giving some results on a river by river basis.

On a disappointing note, despite increasing publicity/promotion of the scheme, the number of angling visits being made nationally is less than 2000 visits (this level of reporting does not reflect the angling effort spent grayling fishing by our membership alone!). Only one of our major grayling river catchments achieved the initial monitoring target set of 150 angler days and only four surpassed 100 angler days. Whether the scheme continues and develops into a valuable fisheries management tool will depend on the level of participation and information generated.

Did you know?
Despite every member of the Society receiving details and an invite to join the scheme when it began, fewer that 5% took the opportunity to get involved in a study aimed at conserving stocks through knowledge based management. If you are interested in grayling angling and conser-vation (and you probably are if you joined the Society) please make every effort to contact the CPO now for a logbook and encourage angling friends to do the same. If this figure was >50%, the scheme would undoubtedly be a major success - every angler counts.

The long-term future of UK grayling populations may be under threat from various sources including climate change (being a coldwater animal) and over fishing - the minimum this study will provide is baseline data to monitor any changes!

Click on items below for the PDF Reports

Report 2001-02

Report 2002-03

Report 2003-04

Report 2004-05

Catch Effort Data

Grayling Size Data

Science Report Summary

Science Report (full report of 104 pages)

The Society now provides an opportunity for its members to make a direct contribution to the conservation and sustainability of the grayling, its habitat and fisheries.

Since the appointment of a Conservation Projects Officer (CPO) in 2002, The Grayling Society has allocated a sum of money that is available for undertaking a project that directly benefits the conservation of grayling in the United Kingdom. Such projects could range from part-financing habitat improvement works, through initiatives such as the promotion of catch-and-release of grayling, to increasing access to grayling anglers on the riverbank. The money pot will be replenished each financial year.

How do I go about making an application?
An application form is available from the Grayling Society and is downloadable from this website. The CPO will receive all applications for grants in the first instance and make an assessment of suitability based on merit and cost. This will take into account such things as value for money, match funding, conservation benefit, impact on grayling stocks, sustainability, etc. The CPO will then make recommendations to the Grayling Society Committee. The Committee will make the final decision as to which projects are funded in the current year. The CPO will follow the progress of projects making interim reports to the Committee and again on completion.

Rules of application
1. Application for a Grayling Society conservation grant is open to any adult (18 years and over) with an interest in grayling conservation - you do not need to be a member of The Grayling Society.
2. Applicants must submit a completed proposal form to the CP Officer.
3. The Maximum available grant will be £3000 in each financial year (1st July to 30th June) but may increase if future demand dictates.
4. The project should be undertaken in the same financial year as the application.
5. Conservation grant money cannot be deferred from one year without the express permission of the GS Committee.
6. Unsuccessful applicants may re-submit their grant bid in the following financial year.

Conservation Projects supported
Since the scheme began, The Society has sponsored several projects including:
1. The River Monnow Project. This is a collaborative project to restore the upper Monnow catchment and its tributaries to its former glories through habitat improvement - securing a future for wild trout and grayling populations.
2. The Forth Fisheries Foundation - grayling survey and restoration work.
3. The Ayrshire Rivers Trust – a detailed catchment-wide survey habitat survey of the Ayr to establish where habitat degradation and diffuse pollution is impacting upon productivity of salmonids (including grayling).
4. The Tweed Foundation – initiative to establish self sustaining management of wild trout and grayling fisheries in the Tweed catchment. The Foundation hopes to improve trout & grayling angling through knowledge-based management.
5. Gopsall Fishing Club – River Sence. Intensive habitat restoration scheme to aid wild trout populations and in readiness for the reintroduction of grayling to the river (they had formerly died out through industrial pollution).

(Although 2 & 3 are not readily classed as conservation projects, they make steps to promote the awareness of grayling and the potential of grayling angling in Scottish rivers supporting large salmon and sea trout fisheries. Grayling were misguidedly seen as competitors to salmon and actively removed)