Leap in salmon catches in River Annan – Fisheries Management Scotland

SALMON catches have been leaping on the River Annan and for Annan’s poke netters.

Figures for 2011 show that fishermen had one of their best seasons for a number of years, almost doubling the number of salmon, weighing in at 258.8kg, caught in 2010 on the Solway mouth of the River Annan.

It follows a steady decline in salmon catches over recent years with 53 caught by poke netters and 81 by haaf netters – the ancient and traditional fishing methods of the Solway.

However, sea trout figures during 2011 took a dip. No sea trout were caught by poke netters in 2011 and only 57 were caught by haaf netters, compared to 139 in 2010. They mainly fished in June, July and August. This remains consistently as low as those for 2006 to 2009 seasons – down by 30 per cent on the previous 10 years figures.