It is imperative that enough Spring Salmon, which is a separate and distinct stock on Tweed, are allowed back to the spawning grounds to ensure adequate reproduction so that the stock can sustain itself. The recent evidence is that there have been only just enough either uncaught or released (“not killed”) Springers to do this, even after the River’s existing Spring Conservation Measures; in the last three years there have probably been insufficient numbers. To allow the Spring fish to achieve the best spawning potential it is necessary that angling pressure is restricted by certain measures and also that as many as possible of the caught fish are returned, unharmed, to the water. Evidence from previous tagging by The Tweed Foundation showed that only a very small proportion of tagged fish are caught a second time.

The 2010 Spring Salmon Conservation Measures will aim to maintain a higher, though not complete, return rate (a minimum of 75% on each beat is suggested). The River Tweed Commission (RTC) may request total Catch-and-Release mid-Spring if it becomes apparent that the 2010 Spring catch is becoming similar to the low Spring figures that Tweed experienced in 2009.

The 2010 Measures

These Measures apply from 1^st February to 30^th June on the whole of the Tweed catchment regardless of whether beats have a full-time boatman to verify rewards. [This is a very small number of beats and puts the whole River on a level basis.]

·       Anglers must return the majority of Salmon caught up to the end of June. The first Salmon taken must be returned (unless it is the angler’s first ever Salmon); the second Salmon may be kept (unless point (b) below applies); the third must be returned, etc. The first Salmon is the most important. It is putting this one back that will make the difference.

·       Anglers returning a Salmon may claim a ‘reward’ from the R.T.C.

·       All Tweed in-river netsmen return all Salmon and grilse caught before 1^st June.

In addition for 2010:

a) "Mercy killings" - killing a fish because it is bleeding and therefore has to be killed. Such killing of a fish should NOT benefit the rod who has killed it; instead, the fish will be given away to a suitably deserving cause and not be retained by the Proprietor or a Boatman.

b) Bleeding  Some first fish caught are killed out of sequence due to bleeding; such fish should be excluded from the Measures meaning that the rod should not be able to count the second one caught as a takeable fish.

c) Rod Tally  There should be NO carry-forward from one beat to another. Therefore, the 1st, 3rd, 5th fish, etc. caught by a rod on each beat he visits in any one season must be returned regardless of fish caught in the same season on other beats.

d) Guidance on Spinning  There is a view that old Springers are more likely to be caught in low water after 1st July (when the Spring Conservation Measures end) by spinning. Where proprietors are happy to do so, they can restrict spinning on their beats to comparatively high and coloured water conditions at any time of year, and perhaps especially in the period 1st July to 14th September (after which spinning is illegal) when the Spring Conservation Measures are not applicable. Old spring fish, caught by any fishing method after 30th June, should be returned as they will have become coloured and increasingly mature.