Severn Estuary lave net fisheries 'destroyed' by new rules

Black Rock fishermen have fished in the Severn Estuary for almost 100 years

The last fishermen in Wales to use a 400-year-old method of catching salmon say the tradition will be destroyed by new rules to protect dwindling stocks.

Fishermen at Black Rock Fishery in Monmouthshire have used handmade lave nets to catch the fish since the 1600s.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) says all salmon caught must be released.

Martin Morgan, one of only eight lave net fishermen, said he had been "fighting to keep it alive" since he got his fishing licence.

NRW has instructed the fishermen, who work in the Severn Estuary, to operate on a catch-and-release only basis this summer.

Black Rock fishermen fish in the Severn Estuary between 1 June and 31 August

The regulator said the changes came after consultation with Natural England and a further assessment of the activity, the protected habitat and the status of salmon stocks.

NRW said killing even small numbers of salmon could harm the already threatened population and releasing the fish was the only way to ensure the species had the best chance to survive and breed.

Mr Morgan said the group, started by his great-grandfather 100 years ago, could not continue fishing under the restrictions.

Lave net fishing involves standing waist-deep in an outgoing tide, and trying to grab passing fish in the homemade nets on willow frames.

The fishery is described as a "living history" group, does not operate commercially and had already had restrictions imposed.

A mandatory catch-and-release rule was originally announced for all Welsh rivers, in January 2020, as part of a range of measures to protect declining salmon stocks.

Mr Morgan said the group had offered to reduce the number of salmon they caught from 15 to five, but he said NRW had decided the fishermen were a "threat to salmon stock".

"This is the last lave net fishery in Wales, we've done everything we can to save it," he said.

Mr Morgan said the tradition had been passed down through generations, adding "it's not something you can learn from a book".

The fishermen use homemade nets on willow frames.

Jon Goldsworthy, operations manager at NRW, said lave net fishing was "an important part of the history and heritage of the area and in Wales", and he hoped the fishermen would take up their licences this summer.

"We do not want to stop the fishermen from using lave nets at Black Rock, but we do need them to change their practice, as other netsmen and anglers have done throughout Wales," he said.

"We must all do our bit to protect the future of our salmon stocks in Wales."