Dee District Salmon Fishery Board

Salmon fishing rights in Scotland are private heritable titles that are registered separately from land. As such these titles can be bought and sold like any other property.

In Scotland, the cost of the local administration, protection and improvement of the fisheries is privately financed by the proprietors. The district boards finance their work by levying a rate on the salmon fishery owners in the district. Elected representatives of those owners provide the core of the membership of the Board. However, since 1986, the boards are required also to include representatives of salmon anglers and salmon netsmen in the district. A further revision to the constitution of the Boards was made in 1999 to allow for even wider representation on the boards by other parties who may have an interest or stake in salmon stocks or fisheries.

Powers and Duties

The powers and duties of a DSFB are summarised below.

Powers

• to act, undertake works and incur expenses for the protection and improvement of the fisheries within their districts, for the increase of salmon and sea trout and the stocking of the district with these fish.
• to impose financial assessments on each salmon fishery in the district, and to charge interest on arrears.
• to borrow funds, and to incur a wide range of expenditure in furtherance of their powers and duties.
• to appoint bailiffs to enforce the salmon fisheries legislation.
• exempt persons from certain provisions of the law for scientific or other purposes.
• to sue in the name of the clerk.

Duties

• to appoint a clerk.
• to maintain a list of proprietors within the DSFBs district.
• to produce an annual report and audited accounts and to consider these at an AGM.
• to call a triennial electoral meeting.

Clerk (contact details)

C/o James Ingall

Airds House

Parton

Castle Douglas DG7 3NF

DSFB Membership

Chairman – James Ingall
Treasurer – Bell Ogilvy, 36 King Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1AF
Legal advisor – Adam Turnbull, Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP, 27 St Cuthbert Street, Kirkcudbright DG6 4DJ
Lower Proprietors – Stuart Ferns (for Drax Group), Richard Agnew (for Crown Estates)

Upper Proprietors – James Ingall, Richard Agnew, Ronnie Wilson, W.F.E. Forbes, James Curtis (to represent the Tarff)

Invitees – Galloway Fisheries Trust, John McCubbing (New Galloway Angling Association), Robin Ade, SEPA
Date and location of next meeting: The next board meeting and AGM (including statutory board elections) of the Kirkcudbrightshire Dee DSFB will be held at 12pm on the 28th August 2020 using Zoom online conferencing due to continuing COVID restrictions on physical meetings. If you would like to attend the AGM, please send an email to angela@gallowayfisheriestrust.org so that you can be included on the Zoom invitation in due course.

DSFB Conservation Policy

Salmon season: 11th February – 31st October (no salmon fishing on a Sunday)

The DDSFB takes stock conservation very seriously, the low numbers of Salmon and Sea Trout make taking action to both reduce impact on the stocks through angling policy/guidelines and enhance stocks through habitat improvements and restocking efforts essential. The board hopes that anglers will see these measures as a way to ensure the continuation and enhancement of their angling experience. Through good management, responsible angling behaviour, stock enhancement through hatchery production and habitat enhancement we can help ensure the future of the Dee Salmon and Sea Trout fishery.

The DDSFB requests that anglers:

• The Dee has been designated as a Category 2 river under the new Salmon Conservation Regulations for the 2020 season. This means the killing of salmon is permitted. This categorisation is reviewed annually.  The Dee DSFB do not agree with this categorisation and request that anglers return all rod caught salmon carefully back to the river as stocks are very low.
• All Sea Trout to be returned as stock levels are critical.
• The use of Prawn is banned and worming allowed only in high water.
• Barbless or crimped hooks are recommended.
• Kill and report any North American signal crayfish.
• Report to head bailiff any Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, Giant hogweed or Mink.
• Report to head bailiff any fish with signs of diseased or parasites.

Downloads

Gallery