Don Fishery Management Plan - RAFTS

Outcomes of Catch Return and Scale AnalysesData CollectedSpecies, numbers and weights caught bymonthAges and sizes at different stages ofmaturityData Uses• Changes in fish availability to rods /nets (run timing)• Changes in abundance of MSW / grilse• Changes in abundance of sea trout• Changes in abundance of brown trout• Trends in weights• Comparisons between different parts ofcatchment• Indication of vulnerable populations• Smolt ages – changes may indicatechanges in the level of competitionbetween juvenile fish• Confirmation of grilse / MSWidentification• Age at maturity and occurrence ofrepeat spawning in sea trout• Age at maturity and occurrence ofrepeat spawning in brown trout• Ensure conservation measures areprotecting vulnerable parts of fish stock• Scale samples may provide DNAsamples for analysisLead BodiesThe involvement of a number of organisations is required for this data collection: cooperationis required from the fishery owners, the Don DSFB and the RDBTIA foraccessing and collating the information, although the bulk of data evaluation will becarried out by the RDT.Future WorkOther fish species are present on the Don catchment and little is known about how theirnumbers are changing or whether they can be fished for sustainably. Coarse fish speciesare currently of a lower priority than the salmonids prominent on the river but the RDTshould develop contacts with coarse fish anglers on the Don to begin sourcing currentinformation about the species present.29