Fish 126 Summer 2017 by Institute of Fisheries Management

Edition 126 / Summer 2017

The Quarterly Magazine of Fisheries Management

Eels 1ST INTERNATIONAL EEL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM OCEANIC MIGRATIONS OF TROPICAL PACIFIC EELS EXPLORING THE MARINE-PHASE BIOLOGY OF JAPANESE EELS AMERICAN EEL IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED SILVER SERVICE: A STANDARD PROTOCOL FOR EEL HEALTH EXAMINATIONS

PLUS: IFM 48th Annual Conference 2017 programme Book Review: The Healing Stream By Laurence Catlow

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Inside this edition 4

View from the Chair

International Eel Science Symposium

Oceanic Migrations of Tropical Pacific Eels

Exploring the Marine-Phase Biology of Japanese Eels

American Eel in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Silver Service: A Standard Protocol for Eel Health Examinations

The Conservation Column

The Paul Coulson BLOG

IFM News

IFM 48th Annual Conference 2017 programme

Breaking News

Book Review

Members and their fish

Editorial Team: Lawrence Talks, Steve Axford Ian Dolben, Peter Spillett, Valerie Holt Paul Coulson, Eamon Cusack

IFM ( Institute of Fisheries Management ) PO Box 679, Hull, HU5 9AX

Fish 126

The theme for this edition of FISH is eels following the very successful first International Eel Science Symposium, which was organised and hosted by the IFM, Environment Agency and Zoological Society of London.

With 185 delegates from 25 countries it was a truly international event with people travelling from as far afield as New Zealand, Japan and French Polynesia. Our first article is by Andy Don, Fellow of the Institute and eel lead for the Environment Agency, who provides a behind the scenes view on what it takes to deliver a successful International Eel Science Symposium. This includes some great photos. Our next series of articles provides a glimpse into the strength and depth of the papers presented at the symposium. To unravel some of the mysteries surrounding Pacific eel, Robert Schabetsberger a biologist at the University of Salzburg, Austria and an international team of experts come together on a tropical paradise, Vanuatu. Nobuto Fukuda of the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, which is part of the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, describes new research that is shedding light on eel residency in sea-estuary and freshwater environments. Nick Walker and colleagues from the United States provide an overview of American eel in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Neil Lewin and Chris Williams from the Environment Agency’s National Fisheries Services team at Brampton describe a new initiative to improve understanding of eel health and how working with partners across Europe is helping standardise assessments of spawner quality. In our Conservation Column Valerie Holt provides a glimpse into the secretive life of Britain’s rarest amphibian, the natterjack toad.

Tel: +44(0)845 388 7012

E-mail: info@ifm.org.uk. www.ifm.org.uk Find us on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter (@IFMFish)

Finally now is the time to book your place at the 48th IFM Annual Conference, which is in Belfast this year on the 10th – 12th October. I hope to see you there. Lawrence Talks - FISH editor fish@ifm.org.uk

View from the Chair

View from the Chair After the summer I am looking forward to a trip to Belfast for the Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Conference. The Ireland Branch has been working hard to put together an exciting programme for you. So check out our website and make your booking early. I am told that there are some places left in the poster session so if you would like to display, please contact the Ireland Branch. Brexit continues apace and the Institute has put some thoughts together on the possible implications for our fisheries, which can be seen at: https://ifm.org.uk/about-us/positionstatements/ Following on from the highly successful 1st International Eel Science Symposium in London, organised by the Institute together with its partners the Zoological Society of London and the Environment Agency, Lawrence has included some of the excellent papers in this issue of 4

FISH. The status of eel populations continue to be of major concern throughout Europe, indeed throughout the world. It is heartening to see the scale of work being undertaken, both in research and on the ground, taking concrete actions to assist eels make their way safely into our waterways and return to their spawning grounds. From the inspirational work of Professor Katsumi Tsukamoto, who led his research team to collect freshwater eel eggs in the ocean, a world first, and discovered the spawning area of the Japanese eel in the western Pacific, to the work of Oliviero Mordenti, University of Bologna, in seeking to breed European eel in captivity, to tracing the movements of the illegal eel trade by Florian Stein of the Sustainable Eel Group, much great work is being done. It is vitally important that Governments not only put in place robust management plans that learn from the research being undertaken, but that they also assess whether their plans are achieving eel stock improvements. The other major freshwater decline is that of the Atlantic salmon and just as we might have thought we had seen all the negative impacts on their survival, along comes another factor.

Again this year the Institute was represented at the annual meeting of NASCO, on this occasion by Nigel Milner (Bangor University) who did an excellent job on the Institute’s behalf. There would seem to be little good news on status of Atlantic salmon stocks. As Nigel stated: “Salmon Pre-Fishery Abundance (PFA) has declined from 8-10m in the early 1980s to around 3-4m in recent years. This decline in spite of big reductions in fishing is attributed to poorly understood mortality processes in the sea and changes in the marine environment”. Despite this Government and nonGovernment groups are working hard to address many of the issues affecting salmon, their work can be seen at http://www.nasco.int/

View from the Chair

Whilst fishing on the famous Galway salmon fishery recently, I saw a fish caught by another angler, which seemed to me to be different to the normal Atlantic salmon we usually see, and more like a pink salmon, but how could this be? I was aware from my Institute colleagues that such fish had been caught in some British rivers since 2007 but hadn’t expected it on the Galway. Since I saw that pink salmon, Inland Fisheries Ireland have confirmed that it was indeed the first pink salmon reported caught in Ireland. Subsequently a number of reports have been received from a number of rivers along the West coast of Ireland. But where have they come from? The most likely explanation seems to be that they may have originated from the Barents Sea, where the Russians introduced them some 40 years ago as part of a massive breeding programme. They have now, over the last number of years, successfully bred in rivers in Norway and are crossing the North Sea to Britain and now to Ireland. Recently Eva Thorstad, fish scientist with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, tweeted: “nearly 250 pink salmon registered in Norway last 11 days along entire coastline and >50 rivers. Those checked are mature and 46% are females”. The big question now is, what effect will these “strays” have on our native Atlantic salmon and will they breed in our waters? Indeed if their numbers are growing in Russia and Norway and now in Britain and Ireland will they outcompete them for food at sea. Just one more threat to our Atlantic salmon that we could do without.

Since I was out and about working on the river and lakes much has changed. The introduction of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., has changed the way many of us get our information on what is happening in the world of fisheries management. Today we can see great fisheries related photographs, learn of new fisheries projects, or drop in on field work around the world at the click of a “mouse”. Here are a selection of recent tweets: Neil Lewin The busiest time of year for @EnvAgency #FishLab Lots of fish kills investigated & helping fisheries recover. Incident line 0800807060 Ian J Winfield @ianjwinfield Back to the delight of a #Windermere #hydroacoustics survey with all home comforts including #coffee and NO #midges Adrian Pinder Good UK representation at #WRFC8 Canada. Adam Brown on assessing the economics of recreational sea angling in England More.... Paul Coulson Some great advice on river management in warm weather from Mike Lee of @EnvAgencyYNE at the @AnglingTrust E. Yorkshire Forum Lough Agency WFD fish monitoring on the Drumragh River in Omagh yesterday #summersampling More Libby Ross Mud & sandflats on #Somerset coast are important sole nursery area = survey by @benciotti @PlymUniMI students @SomersetWT @DevonSevernIFCA Barry Bendall The 13yr old me wouldn’t have ever imagined spending the 1st day of the fishing season desperately trying to complete an EU project report! So check out the IFM twitter account and let us know what is happing in your fisheries world. Eamon Cusack IFM Chairman 5

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International Eel Science Symposium

International Eel Science Symposium Andy Don, Fellow of the Institute and eel lead for the Environment Agency, provides a behind the scenes view on what it takes to deliver a successful International Eel Science Symposium, which was organised and hosted by the IFM, Environment Agency and Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Initial idea It was with some trepidation that I tapped Paul Coulson on the shoulder before the opening of a 2015 Eels Regulations workshop in Peterborough – “You know what we need Paul…”, I ventured, “…we need to host an eel science symposium.” Rather than treat this suggestion with scorn, given that we were just about to walk into another IFM/Environment Agency eel event, Paul didn’t miss a beat and calmly announced to the assembled delegates that they should look out for exciting news about a forthcoming Eel Science Symposium. And so, there was no going back.

Worldwide scientific research Over the preceding months, I had become increasingly aware of the amount of new research being carried out on Anguillids (the freshwater eels) around the world. There are some 16 species of the Anguilla genus and all exhibit diadromous lifestyles, doing their growing in waters often far-removed from their 8

marine spawning grounds. These enigmatic, contradictory and confounding species share similar challenges and pressures wherever they are found. The familiar inbox ‘ping’ would alert me to another research paper landing. Inevitably I would go on to learn of some cutting-edge research happening in a sun-drenched paradise. Wistfully looking out over a rainy November Devon, I imagined a forum where these papers could be presented to a wider, diverse audience. Science happening in a vacuum is not much use to anyone (unless it’s happening at CERN in a Large Hadron Collider), but a common thread of the research I was seeing, was the potential to inform management decisions and solutions. With that principle in mind, Paul and I started dealing with the practicalities of making an event happen in 2017. The Eel Science Symposium keeps good company, joining the successful IFM/ Environment Agency events in 2009, 2013 and 2015. Each of these had a different purpose

International Eel Science Symposium

and each was incredibly well attended and supported. The challenge was to ensure that the 2017 event didn’t disappoint.

Host, venue, Organising Committee and date We wanted to get as many of the Anguillid species as possible represented, and so we chose a venue that was relatively convenient for foreign travellers. We picked London and were delighted to learn that The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) through our friend and colleague, Dr Matt Gollock, would be pleased to host the Symposium. Once Dr Alan Walker of CEFAS (Centre of the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) and IFM’s Iain Turner had joined, we had our Organising Committee, and set about garnering interest via a Call for Papers. We named our creation: ‘The 1st UK International Eel Science Symposium’, picked the 13th of June to launch the three day event and gave it the theme of ‘Science into Management’. There was instant interest from potential presenters and the Committee were overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of the submissions. It was quickly apparent that we would need to divide these up into full presentations, speed talks of 10 mins, and posters.

Worldwide event It would have been all too easy to lapse into the convenience of a Euro-centric event, so the Committee strove to include as many wider global papers as possible. In the end we had 25 countries represented, the furthest afield being New Zealand, closely followed by South Africa, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, Japan, Canada and the USA.

Eel ambassador After much agonising we had our final Programme and we were honoured that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall agreed to officially open the event for us. Hugh, with his background of environmental campaigning including ‘Hugh’s Fish Fight’, gave a compelling speech on the threats to the wider environment and fisheries and on his involvement with eels in particular; 10

in doing so he introduced our first Session, ‘Setting the Scene’ perfectly.

Posters, pub and Thames cruise Along with the very high quality science at the Zoological Society of London, the Organising Committee also organised the poster evening at The Vaults within the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) on The Strand and, our default setting for a big London event, a river cruise with dinner on the Thames. We also hosted an informal evening after the Symposium close at a traditional London pub. Once again the weather gods were smiling on us, the venues were perfect and we received some great feedback from enthusiastic attendees.

Legacy The Organising Committee also concluded that we didn’t want the Symposium to just be a moment in time – it needed to have a legacy element. We have agreed on two ‘products’, one being the Proceedings book for the event which, along with the research papers themselves, will also include a wider commentary about the symposium and the state of eel management currently. This document is kindly being sponsored by the Environment Agency. Secondly Ian Cowx agreed to have a dedicated edition of Fisheries Management and Ecology that will be edited by Matt and Alan. During the event itself there were also various offers of web-based information sharing, which we will announce in due course.

Thanks Clearly I am biased, but all in all it was a fantastic event and I would like to thank again all of the presenters, delegates, sponsors and my co-organisers for making it so. Particular praise must go to the IFM’s Paul and Iain for their military planning and execution.

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Oceanic Migrations of Tropical Pacific Eels

Meelis Tambets and Finn Ă&#x2DC;kland tagging

Oceanic Migrations of Tropical Pacific Eels To unravel some of the mysteries surrounding Pacific eel, an international team came together on a tropical paradise, Vanuatu. 12

Oceanic Migrations of Tropical Pacific Eels

Their eggs hatch within days and their weirdlooking, leaf-shaped larvae will drift back with the South Equatorial Current and develop into transparent glass eels. Some will smell the river running from the lake, swim up the river and crawl up vertical mossy cliffs alongside the waterfall, before they reach Lake Letas to grow for decades, like their ancestors.

Mysterious migrations Anguillid eels have captured the imagination of scientists and the general public because of their mysterious migrations to mostly unknown spawning areas. Freshwater eels (Genus Anguilla) are major ecological components across the islands of the western South Pacific Robert Schabetsberger region and have been important mythical creatures for human societies for centuries. Meet the team Yet, very little is known about their biology. The ‘threatened’ status of the stocks of Robert Schabetsberger, a biologist at the economically important temperate eel species, University of Salzburg, Austria who started to such as European (Anguilla anguilla), American work on tropical eels in 2012, was joined by (A. rostrata), or Japanese (A. japonica) eels, Finn Økland, a fish telemetry specialist based have prompted a number of protective at the Norwegian Institute of Nature Research, measures, causing increasing harvesting of Trondheim, who has tagged fish in 20 different unprotected tropical anguillid species in some countries, Ursula Sichrowsky, who is a Ph.D. student from the University of Innsbruck, Austria areas, such as Indonesia. working on the limnology of tropical lakes in So far no adult eel has ever been tracked all Oceania, Meelis Tambets from Wildlife Estonia, the way to its spawning area. In 2012 and who has worked with Finn on numerous tagging 2013 we tagged three different species with projects, and Kim Aarestrup from Denmark X-tags to follow their ocean migrations. The Technical University, who has pioneered tagging fish were caught by local fishermen snorkeling of European eels with satellite tags. in the torrent outflow (20m3s-1) of Lake Letas. Once released in the ocean, the migrating eels Some tropical eels live in paradise exhibited pronounced diel vertical migration, descending at dawn from a night time depth Some tropical eels live in paradise. Among around 200m to a daytime depth around 750m them are eels living in lake Letas in the and ascending again at dusk, much like the archipelago of Vanuatu. The lake, sacred to locals, is a 100m deep crater-lake in the middle pattern observed in other Anguilla species. However, the corresponding temperature of the tropical South Pacific island of Gaua, change experienced by the eels was an constantly fertilized by an active volcano and astonishing, 22 – 6 °C on the approximately full of tasty shrimp. The only downside is the one hour long descent. Twelve hours later the spawning migration back to their spawning grounds in the ocean. To accomplish this, they reverse temperature change was experienced have to migrate through a gauntlet of difficulties. on ascent, altogether an impressive temperature First, a header down a 120m waterfall, then past tolerance over such a short period. fishermen hooking and dragging them ashore, Another interesting feature is that the lunar cycle on to hungry sharks ambushing them in the affected the upper limit of migration depths in reef, and finally a 1000km exhausting journey in the deep blue ocean, all this without feeding. two species, A. marmorata and A. megastoma. At full moon the eels descended approximately Finally, after spawning they die. 13

Oceanic Migrations of Tropical Pacific Eels Lake Letas and the active volcano Mount Garet (Photo: Meelis Tambets).

100m deeper than a new moon (full moon ~250m, new moon ~150m). We interpret this as predator avoidance, since sharks and swordfish have been shown to also extend their diving depths during full moon. Three eels (two A. marmorata, one. A megastoma) exhibited long-distance migrations with their tags surfacing 634 – 874km northeast of Gaua in an area (8°S – 11°S, 170°E – 175°E) at the border of the South Equatorial Current and the South Equatorial Counter Current. Some of the smallest leptocephali collected so far were located close to the pop-up locations, indicating that the spawning area is located nearby. Additionally, a distinct salinity maximum at the pop-up locations coinciding with the thermocline and the upper night-time eel migration depths was identified (discovered by Giorgio Dall’Olmo from Plymouth Marine Laboratory), potentially serving as seamark for this potential spawning area. This is further supported because 15% of all eels sampled on Gaua were hybrids between A. marmorata and A. megastoma (discovered by A tagged eel diving into the deep blue ocean near Vanuatu Robert Jehle and his team from the University (Photo: Robert Schabetsberger) 14

Oceanic Migrations of Tropical Pacific Eels

of Salford) implying that they must spawn at the same location. For the European and Japanese eels, expensive research cruises over two decades had been necessary to hunt down the small eel larvae and find the spawning areas. With a grant from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and help of many colleagues, a spawning area of Pacific eels was narrowed down within only three years. This accomplishment will hopefully allow for better conservation efforts. For a copy of the paper: Genetic and migratory evidence for sympatric spawning of tropical Pacific eels from Vanuatu by Schabetsberger R. et al. (2015) go to: MEPS 521:171-187.

Donna Kalfatak and Ursula Sichrowsky near Mbe Solomul River

Schabetsberger R, Ă&#x2DC;kland F, Kalfatak D, Sichrowsky U, Tambets M, Aarestrup K, Gubili C, Sarginson J, Boufana B, Jehle R, Dallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Olmo G, Miller MJ, Scheck A, Kaiser R, Quartly G Genetic and migratory evidence for sympatric spawning of tropical Pacific eels from Vanuatu MEPS 521:171-187

Depth profiles coloured by temperature indicating diel vertical migration from Anguilla marmorata Eel 6 (A) and Anguilla megastoma Eel 8 (B).

Night-time mean depth (black) with smoothed night-time mean depth (red) for Anguilla marmorata Eel 6 (A) and Anguilla megastoma Eel 8 (B). Corresponding moon phase indicated in centre panel.

[Published by permission of the authors] 15

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Marine-Phase Biology of Japanese Eels

Exploring the MarinePhase Biology of Japanese Eels Nobuto Fukuda of the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, which is part of the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, describes new research that is shedding light on eel residency in sea-estuary and freshwater environments. Our institute, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, has been carrying out intensive surveys in the Pacific Ocean to reveal the marine-phase biology of Japanese eels. We continue to investigate the larval distribution, metamorphosis location, recruitment of glass eels and ecology of sea-estuary eels and migrating silver eels. One of the most impressive achievements has been the success of collecting adult eels near their spawning area in 2008 for the first time.

they grow in freshwater rivers or near-shore sites and estuaries in saline water. We found that almost half of the eels collected in the spawning area had grown in saline water. This result suggested that sea-estuary residents may make a large reproductive contribution to the population.

From other analyses of the otolith Sr:Ca it is known that there are typical migratory patterns when they grow in the continental habitats. The sea-estuary residents and river residents were mainly determined at the first year after recruitment, although there were a few eels which Sea-estuary or freshwater river? shifted between the different salinity habitats. In the life history of eels it is known that there are To understand how the eels differentiate into sea-estuary residents and river residents we some so-called sea-estuary residents that grow investigated their behaviour during the first year in the near-shore in saline water and some socalled river residents growing in freshwater rivers. of growth. Using the 13 spawn-condition eels collected in their spawning area during 2008 and 2009, we analysed the strontium/calcium ratio of the otoliths (otolith Sr:Ca), which are located in their inner ears, from which we can determine whether 18

Marine-Phase Biology of Japanese Eels

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Does glass eel body condition determine habitat residency? To explain the formation of the two types of residents, â&#x20AC;&#x153;body condition hypothesisâ&#x20AC;? has been proposed in studies using European eels. These studies found that glass eels with low condition preferred saline water, settling down in sea-estuary, and glass eels with high condition

preferred freshwater, going up into freshwater in rivers. However, a recent study with American eels found that salinity choice was not related to their body condition. Thus, this body condition hypothesis might not be generally applied to other species of freshwater eels. To investigate this hypothesis in Japanese eels we used Y-maze apparatus to test their water preference. For Japanese eels the results showed that the body 19

Marine-Phase Biology of Japanese Eels

condition of the eels was not significantly different between the freshwater-choice group and the saline water-choice group, so this hypothesis seems not to apply to either Japanese eels or American eels.

Is it odour that affects glass eel behaviour? Following this we then had to consider what else could affect the selection of habitats that they settle down in. Though recent studies have focused mainly on salinity differences, other past studies of juvenile eel behaviour have reported that the odour in river water is an important factor for glass eel landward migration. The river water includes both effects of low salinity and riverine odour, but we didn’t know how each factor affects the behaviour of eels. In the next experiment we examined their preference for salinity and odour. The experiment about their odour and salinity preference showed very interesting results with glass eels and elvers being strongly attracted by the riverine odour compared to low salinity in river water. This means that juvenile eels choose their own habitats to settle based on the water’s odour, which could overturn our recent understanding that they approach and go up river by the preference for freshwater. This then can be used to explain why they distribute themselves both in coastal waters and in upper river habitat irrespective of salinity. It is still unclear, however, why they rarely move between different salinity water after their first year of growth. To explore this further we continued to rear the eels in natural seawater and examined their odour and salinity preference at each developmental stage (glass eels, elvers, and young yellow eels). The experimental results showed that their preference for the riverine odour was maintained during the growth phase, but their salinity-preference shifted from freshwater to saline water according to their development in natural seawater.

We then proposed this idea as a “Time-windowhypothesis” to explain the formation of seaestuarine residents, because it is like there is a “window” to enter riverine freshwater, which is closed after they spend a certain time in saline water. Our study showed that sea-estuary eels are an important component of the population and that their residency is influenced by riveroriginated odour. However, we still don’t know what substances the odour consists of and how it is created in nature. We continue to study the dynamics of eel populations and their habitat and environmental preferences through the observation of their behaviour in our efforts to conserve Japanese eels, which have encountered a drastic decline.

Acknowledgements The series of studies were supported financially and operationally from the Fisheries Agency of Japan, and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency. I thank the captains and crew members of the RV Shoyo-Maru and RV Kaiyo-Maru, the Fisheries Agency of Japan, for supporting the oceanic surveys. I am grateful to D. Ambe, M. Okazaki, M. Masujima, A. Nishimoto, S. Sawayama, A. Shinoda, Y. Masuda, M. Sekino, K. Saitoh, T. Watanabe, N. Mochioka, H. Kuwada and all members in Yokosuka Laboratory, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science for supporting experiments and surveys. I greatly appreciate K. Yokouchi, T. Yamamoto, H. Kurogi, T. Yada, S. Chow for useful discussions in the works with them.

I am grateful to the officers in the Resources Enhancement Promotion Department, the Fisheries Agency of Japan for giving me an From these results, we took the view that juvenile opportunity to study. eels randomly settle down in a wide range of salinity water as long as it has rich river-originated odour and then if they acclimatise in saline water this causes them to reside in saline water. 20

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American Eel in the Chesapeake Bay

American Eel in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nick Walker and colleagues provide an overview of the stock assessment, prioritisation of habitat and passage, and cultural significance of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in the Chesapeake Bay watershed on the north west coast of the United States. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is an interstate partnership to manage and protect migratory fishery resources. The Commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) Fishery Management Plan began in 1999 and the most recent stock assessment was conducted in 2012. The assessment found eels are depleted, with multiple factors responsible including commercial fishing, parasites (e.g. the invasive nematode Anguillicoides crassus), anthropogenic habitat modification including environmental pollutants, habitat destruction and barriers to fish passage; climate change, and changes to the Sargasso Sea. The American eel is now at <1% of historic levels, with habitat also greatly reduced and degraded. Since then, American eel has been reviewed twice by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for consideration on the Endangered Species List. Both times, the agency has determined that listing is not warranted, although it is considered endangered by the IUCN Red List. 22

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America and includes parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C. and West Virginia, although the latter is not a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Potomac River, between Maryland and Virginia, is also considered its own fishery, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. Only yellow eels may be harvested in the Chesapeake Bay region (no glass eels). Regulations are separate for commercial and recreational fishing. There are no commercial fisheries in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Everywhere else, regulations vary, although the Chesapeake Bay states share the commonality of a 0.5 x 0.5 inch mesh size for eel pots and a minimum 9 inch yellow eel size (except New York, which has a 6 inch minimum). New York also requires a commercial licence, places some restrictions on gear and a 14 inch maximum length in some rivers. In Maryland, only eel pots, baited traps and spearfishing are allowed between September and December. No commercial

American Eel in the Chesapeake Bay Figure 1.Yellow eel landings in Chesapeake Bay states, 1988-2013. Based on Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Oct. 2014.

Figure 2. A partial map of eel collection data in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Green dots indicate the presence of eels in Maryland and Potomac River Fisheries Commission; Purple dots indicate eels in Virginia. Based on Walker 2017 (unpubl. data).

American Eel in the Chesapeake Bay

fishing is allowed in tidal waters. Crabbers can use up to 50 eel pots per day. In Delaware a commercial licence is required and fishing is allowed in tidal waters only. In Virginia, a 4 inch x 4 inch escape panel is required for eel pots. From September to December, only pots and traps are allowed (no trawling), in addition to some seasonal closures. In the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, licence fees and a commercial eel pot licence are required. Eel pots may be up to 10 feet in length and are the only gear allowed from September to December. Pound nets must use approved fish cull panels.

pay more for a less optimal bait. So, although Delaware has had a lower number of landings from 2007-present, this may not necessarily mean fewer eels. In addition, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is limited by a lack of data on American eel.

To help improve available data, we have compiled a dataset (from dozens of sources) with observations of over 1.8 million individual American eels in the Chesapeake Bay region, 1970-present. It features over 100 variables, including biological factors such as eel abundance, location, length, For recreational fishing, all Chesapeake Bay life stage, incidence of parasitism and states have a 9 inch minimum yellow eel size sex; and environmental factors, such as (with a 14 inch maximum in some rivers in water temperature, salinity, environmental New York). New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, contaminants, riparian buffers, barriers and Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries fishing pressure. A map showing some of the Commission limit individuals to 25 eels per day. sites where American eel have been sampled in In New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, charter Virginia and Maryland (approx. 25% of the total boats may take up to 50 eels per day. Virginia data) is shown Fig. (2). The goal is to use these requires a recreational licence and has a two data to prioritise conservation management pot limit. Delaware has a limit of 50 eels per decisions to maximise efficiency in improving person per day and a two pot limit. Washington fish passage and habitat conservation, building D.C. allows up to five eel traps per person and a upon the work of The Nature Conservancyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maximum of 10 eels per day. Fish Habitat Decision Support Tool http://www.fishhabitattool.org With the exception of Pennsylvania and www.fishhabitattool.org Washington D.C., the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission states have conducted Finally, a conservation plan for eels must young-of-the-year surveys to document the improve the public perception of this species numbers of first-year elvers. In 2014, Delaware and show why they are important ecologically, and Maryland had above average young-of-the- culturally and economically. Eels are food for year counts, but counts were below average many birds and mammals. Elliptio mussel everywhere else and were in some cases the larvae latch onto eels for transport. The lowest numbers ever recorded. Yellow eel rainbow snake, as an adult, feeds exclusively landings increased in Maryland and Potomac on eels. Eels were an important source of River Fisheries Commission, but declined in food for several American Indian tribes. The New York and Delaware. Yellow eel landings in Nanticoke Nation still has an eel pot on their the Chesapeake Bay states from 1988 to 2013 flag. Eel were served at the first Thanksgiving are shown in Fig. (1). and the Indians taught the colonists how to plant an eel with corn. Today, eels are important Several challenges exist for estimating eel economically and provide a source of jobs abundance. This is because eels are panmictic, and income. Recreationally, they are a way for highly variable in individual growth and people to connect with nature, since eels are an recruitment, and are affected by size-dependent accessible species that can be found in almost (rather than age) biological parameters. any waterway. Because of this, eels can serve Landings alone may not tell the whole story. as a bio-indicator for stream recovery and aid in For example, in Delaware, horseshoe crab conservation efforts. management meant the preferred eel bait was no longer available, which meant a lot of fishermen chose to exit the fishery rather than 24

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Tel: 01902 340625

Mob: 07775 608505

Electrafish Limited, Registered Office: 48 Warstones Drive, Penn, Wolverhampton WV4 4PR, England.

Protocol for Eel Health Examinations

Silver eel

Silver Service: A Standard Protocol for Eel Health Examinations Neil Lewin and Chris Williams from the Environment Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Fisheries Services team at Brampton describe a new initiative to improve understanding of eel health and how working with partners across Europe is helping standardise assessments of spawner quality. 26

Protocol for Eel Health Examinations

The importance of health

lab shot

Health is a key consideration for every life stage of the European eel. From glass eels arriving at our shores to silver eels leaving rivers to spawn, health is integral to their fitness, survival and reproductive success. Eels can inhabit our waterways for well over 20 years, becoming host to many parasites and pathogens, and accumulating numerous contaminants. It is often not until these fish undergo silvering and begin their marine migration that many of these infections/pollutants take their toll, with badly affected eels unlikely to complete their journey. Compared with other factors health has received relatively little attention, despite growing awareness of its potential role in both the decline of the eel stock and its recovery. Work is underway to develop standardised eel health assessments and bridge this gap.

Contaminants Eels are particularly susceptible to contaminant bioaccumulation, which can be attributed to their high lipid content, benthic feeding, long freshwater life, amongst other aspects. Eels readily accumulate a range of organic and inorganic compounds including; polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs), pesticides and heavy metals. These contaminants can have undesirable effects through causing disturbance to the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems, and ultimately hindering reproductive success.

Parasites Eels can host over 60 species of parasite, with Anguillicoloides crassus receiving most attention, due to the severe damage it causes to the swimbladder. With migration exceeding 5000km, involving large vertical changes, heavily infected eels are unlikely to reach the Sargasso Sea. Whilst A. crassus is probably the most pathogenic parasite of concern, there are numerous others that are capable of compromising the eel.

Viruses There are three primary viral pathogens concerning European eels: Anguillid herpesvirus

(AngHV-1), Eel Virus European (EVE) and Eel Virus European X (EVEX). AngHV-1 has caused eel specific mortality in some UK stillwaters being first recorded in 2009. Eels harbouring viruses may appear healthy with disease only triggered when stressed. Recent observations suggest the physiological stress of silvering combined with barriers to migration could be important triggers for disease, emphasising the need to improve our understanding of these viruses.

Other eel health interactions Understanding health and the spawning potential of eels involves recognition of many different factors and disciplines. For example, the importance of infections or contaminants can depend on an eelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life stage, age, sex, environmental characteristics and physiological status. Therefore, comprehensive health assessments require detailed examinations that consider many different measures and samples. 27

Protocol for Eel Health Examinations crassus

Glass eels

HVA

Currently there is insufficient data on eel quality to estimate the proportion of stock successfully reproducing and this is key to predicting stock recovery and the success of eel management measures. The quality of eels migrating is extremely important, not just the quantity. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommends that Member states implement routine monitoring of lipids, contaminants and diseases across Europe. As such, the ICES Working Group for Eel has developed protocols for the estimation of eel quality, with Neil attending a meeting in Brussels to help develop these approaches (available from: www.ices.dk/publications/library/Pages/ default.aspx?k=wkpgmeq). This provides a standard for collecting measurements from eels but does not detail how to actually examine these fish.

Developing a standard fish health protocol This began when Chris collaborated with Paul Kemp (Southampton University), investigating whether health factors could explain eel behaviour in response to migration barriers. This involved dissecting 200+ silver eels following observations in a flume. With such a valuable sample, maximising data retrieval was essential and using these fish we addressed other knowledge gaps including understanding parasite and virus prevalence, determining population age-class structure and obtaining contaminant samples. This project reinforced that relatively few people have experience with eel handling, anatomy or dissection, let alone specific knowledge of how to handle tissues supporting varied disciplines and diagnostics. This stemmed from limited published information on eel necropsy, with methods confined to individual papers, books or expert individuals. In response to this we began developing a single protocol that could be used by all practitioners to conduct any eel examination.

Partnership We have gained the support and input from experts across Europe to standardise how to examine eels and provide best practice for

Protocol for Eel Health Examinations

Drivers for eel health monitoring

assessments, essentially creating a one-stopshop for all dissection needs. The protocol brings together all aspects from background planning, equipment and tools, husbandry and anaesthesia, anatomy and dissection, morphometrics and handling, with specific chapters on contaminants, parasites and diseases, non-destructive sampling, otolith analysis, silvering and physiological status, tissue storage and archive, data collation and knowledge sharing.

Outcomes and goals The protocol is due to be completed and shared later this year, being available online providing access to anyone interested in or working with eels. It will provide an up to date reference for all eel health work and networking opportunities. Ideally this will help standardise data retrieval, promoting better use of comparable information. Also, reducing eels being sacrificed by sharing material and archiving tissues for future study. It will help promote more collaborative working and ultimately better integrate health into the future management of eel stocks.

Acknowledgements This partnership has only been possible through the support and contributions of experts across Europe. In particular, special thanks to Derek Evans (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute,AFBI), Claude Belpaire (Instituut NatuurEN Bosonderzoek, INBO Belgium), Olga Haenen (Wageningen University, Netherlands), Jo James, Gareth Davies and Amy Reading (Environment Agency, National Fisheries Service), Keith Way (Cefas), Jimmy Turnbull (Stirling University), Sylvie Dufour (BOREA), Caroline Durif (IoMR, Norway), Jo Cable (Cardiff University), Rob Britton (Bournemouth University), David Hoole (Keele University), Alan Walker (Cefas), Paul Kemp (Southampton University), Caroline Geeraerts (INBO), Randolph Richards (Stirling University), Andy Shinn (FishVet Group), Jon Bolland (HIFI) and Steve Feist (Cefas). Also thanks to local and national fisheries colleagues within the Environment Agency. For more information please contact Neil (neil. lewin@environment-agency.gov.uk) or Chris (chris.williams@environment-agency.gov.uk). 29

The Conservation Column

Natterjack toad by Karl Charters

Natterjack toad Bufo epidalea calamita Valerie Holt provides a fascinating insight into Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rarest amphibian. 30

The Conservation Column Sand dunes, Formby

It has been estimated that there are over 7,000 species of amphibians in the world, of which 90% are frogs. All modern amphibians are included in the subclass Lissamphibia, which is usually considered a clade, or a group of species that have evolved from a common ancestor.

Of these the great crested newt and natterjack toad have full legal protection as endangered species under UK law, making it an offence to kill, injure, capture, disturb or sell them, or to damage or destroy their habitats, and this applies to all stages of the life cycle.

Amphibians have very primitive lungs and rely on cutaneous respiration. This means the surface of their highly vascularised skin must remain moist to allow the oxygen to diffuse at a sufficiently high rate. Tadpoles have gills however.

The natterjack is distinguished from the common toad by a yellow stripe along the back and the warts on the skin can be bright red or yellow. It also has distinctive bulges on the back of the head. It grows up to 8cm in length and it has a green iris with an oval horizontal pupil.

There are only seven species of amphibians in the UK British pool frog, Rana lessonae. Common frog, Rana temporaria. Common toad, Bufo bufo. Natterjack toad, Bufo Epidalea calamita. Great crested newt, Triturus cristatus. Palmate newt, Lissotriton helveticus. Smooth newt, Lissotriton vulgaris.

The toads breed in warm, shallow water and are active at night. They lay eggs in a single string (common toads lay in double strings). At breeding time the males make loud rasping noises to attract females - this can be heard up to a mile away and one young male was seen calling from inside a jam jar, which amplified the sound. The louder the call the more chance of attracting a female. Such loud calling is essential to attract the females when the population is low and scattered. Breeding takes place from April until early summer. They can live for up to 12 years and feed on moths, spiders, woodlice, snails and worms. They are quite aggressive and can chase after prey. They catch prey with a long sticky tongue. 31

The Conservation Column

FISH Spring 2016

Natterjack Toad (Bufo epidalea calamita) male Bernard Dupont

The Conservation Column

Formby, view from the sand dunes

It is often known as the ‘running toad’ because it tends to walk or run on land and is a poor swimmer, often drowning in deep water if it cannot get to shore. It is smaller than the common toad and is found in coastal sand dunes, coastal grazing marshes and sandy heaths. Across Great Britain there are only about 60 sites that support natterjack toads and a small number of sites in south west Ireland. The main strongholds are on the sand dunes of the Merseyside coast, the Cumbrian Coast and the Scottish Solway, but they are also present along the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts. During the day they hide away in heaps of stones or burrows in the sand.

The Conservation Column

The tadpoles are slightly smaller than common toad tadpoles and the yellow stripe becomes obvious when they begin to grow legs. The tadpoles feed on algae and vegetation until they are about 38 days old.

given more than £1.3bn through the Landfill Communities Fund since it was set up in 1997 and this funding will enable the Wildlife Trust to protect and re-invigorate the optimal habitat for the natterjack toads. This, with the new ponds, will be pivotal in increasing toad numbers and securing the populations of one of only two sites on the north Norfolk coast. At the RSPB HQ in Bedfordshire the toads have responded to the creation of new breeding habitat at the site by producing 50 per cent more spawn, making it one of the most productive seasons for natterjacks at the site this century. New ponds were created with support from Tesco and a private donor These are only two of a number of successful projects around the country to help stem the decline of our rarest amphibian.

Although the toads secrete a poisonous substance from their skin, which helps protect them from predators, they are preyed on by magpies, herons and crows. Other predators include otters, weasels, foxes, rats, hedgehogs, grass snakes and stoats. The tadpoles are preyed upon by fishes, toads, frogs and birds as well as the aquatic larvae of many insects like beetles and dragonflies. One of the main causes of decline is habitat loss. Dunes change with wind patterns and coastal grazing marsh is a declining habitat. Heathland is also under threat. Other causes such as pollution, climate change, UV damage to the skin, eyes and eggs, introduced species and disease all contribute to the threats facing this rare species. However there are some projects underway to attempt to halt the decline in habitat loss. Norfolk Wildlife Trust has been given more than £30,000 by the SITA Trust for its Toads in the Holes project at Holme Dunes, near Hunstanton. It plans to improve habitat for the endangered natterjack by stripping away areas of turf and digging new ponds on the windswept coastal nature reserve. They need pools that are deep enough to avoid drying out too early in the breeding season. The reserve will be fenced to allow grazing by ponies and sheep. The shorter grass will encourage a variety of invertebrates for the toads to feed on. The SITA Trust has 35

The Paul Coulson BLOG

Paul with zander

The Paul Coulson

BLOG As this is a special edition linked to the International Eel Science Symposium we should really start this blog there. As you will have seen from reading the earlier articles, and looking at the pictures we had a great few days at the Zoological Society of London. The genesis of this event began as a conversation between myself and Andy Don at our eel workshop in Peterborough in 2015. Andy in his wisdom thought it would be a great idea for us to cast our net wider than the UK and Europe, as we had done for our last three eel events, and to host an international science focused conference. 36

As we had a captive audience of eel people in the room I took it upon myself to announce our grand plans to the delegates. And that was that, the wheels were set in motion and we had to go through with it. Iain obviously joined the team and we were pleased when both Matt Gollock from Zoological Society of London and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Alan Walker of Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) agreed to join us as well.

and drink we also had a series of very interesting talks from Karl Bousfield of Hydrolox, Sophie Edwards of Thames Water, Andrew Kerr from the Sustainable Eel Group and our very own Steve Colclough. The assembled delegates from around the world were also able to take in all the sights of London as we sailed down river.

We were also pleased to see the number of countries that were in attendance. In the end we had 185 delegates from 25 countries, a truly international event. The award for the longest journey went to Anke Zernac from New Zealand and the most remote location travelled from was Pierre Sasal from French Polynesia.

To close the symposium we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of a better way then to gather everyone in a local Camden Town pub where over a Pimms or bottle of beer everyone could relax and have a bit more eel chat!

The Paul Coulson BLOG

Once we started to circulate the details, I think it is fair to say that we were amazed by the response. The call for papers generated far more papers than we could fit on the programme. In the end we managed to squeeze 59 papers into the three days, we also had 38 posters on display at the poster session.

I would just like to thank everyone who made the event such a success including all of the steering group, the sponsors, Clara and Vanessa our helpers from ZSL, Harriett for not only helping with the poster session but also for acting as chief kebab hunter with our Japanese guests and a special thank you to Emily and William Don who designed the original version of the symposium logo for us.

We were treated to some amazing talks that featured some of the very latest findings from around the world. This included the first footage of Japanese eels from 200 metres down in the Pacific, as well as a film of the artificial breeding programme from the University of Bologna, a first for the European eel. One of the highlights for me was seeing the two ends of the scientific spectrum on display. Whilst we saw amazing video taken Global Domination from manned submersibles and the latest genetic During the symposium I was approached by wizardry, we also saw experiments that utilized several of the leading eel scientists from Japan two buckets and a bit of plastic pipe. who were so impressed with the symposium As is now the tradition at IFM events we also that they offered to host the 2nd International Eel had a couple of great social events. The first of Science Symposium in Japan in 2020. We will these was the poster and drinks reception on the be working with them on a plan for the event so Tuesday evening. Iain did a great job of finding us starting saving now. a unique London venue in the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures Other things than eels and Commerce) vaults and with a little help from Although it may seem that all we have done for Harriet Alvis the walls were bedecked in posters the last few months is work on eels we have still from all over the world. had lots of other things going on. Mike Lee and I We decided to award two poster prizes, each delivered two electric fishing courses in May. We of which was a very nice bottle of Veuve Cliquot had a nice mix of people on the courses including Champagne. The first was for the clearest staff from the RSPB, independent consultants, message. Sarah Mount won this for her poster students and the new summer interns from the on the Hudson River Eel Project. The second West Country Rivers Trust. prize was for the best scientific poster; this was We also have a couple more training courses won by Nobuto Fukuda for his poster on the planned in August. These will be for the Salford acoustic tracking of Japanese eels during their Friendly Anglers and the Yorkshire Moors National spawning migration. Park. We are starting to see an increase in On the Wednesday evening we repeated the boat angling clubs and other groups asking us to trip that we ran at the European Eel Conference in deliver training for them in electric fishing. Giving 2013. Once again the weather gods were smiling groups the ability to monitor their own fish stocks, on us and we had a great evening onboard the often in partnership with the local Environment Golden Jubilee. In between some lovely food Agency or Rivers Trust, can allow them to make

The Paul Coulson BLOG Steering Group

River Blythe

The Paul Coulson BLOG

has ideas for suitable topics, please let Iain or myself know.

On the rivers again Over the last few months my time has been mostly taken up with eels, renewable energy, trains and motorways. However I did have a date in the diary that I had been looking forward to for several months. Mike Lee and I have a very good friend from our Sparsholt days who now lives near Upton upon Severn. We decided it would a good idea to invite ourselves down to his house for a couple of days of fishing on the Severn with a view to catching one of the very large barbel that reside there. Chub

more effective management decisions based on accurate data rather than a knee-jerk reaction based on angler demands. The Annual Conference in Belfast continues to take shape and the Ireland Branch have a great few days planned. The conference will again be the traditional three-day format and will include an afternoon of field trips on the second day. The branch have put together a broad and inclusive programme with sessions covering a wide range of topics from tagging and telemetry to marine and transitional waters so there should be something for everyone. The field trips will include a trip to the Lough Neagh Fisheries Co-Operative as well as a tour of the Strangford Lough. We are also very lucky, as the Belfast Harbour Masters have kindly allowed us to use their very grand harbour offices for the annual dinner. We also have a poster and short film evening planned and I am sure we will find the time to squeeze in a trip to a few of the famous Belfast pubs.

The only flaw in our master plan was the weather. The fact it was well over 25°C and bright sun on the first day didn’t help, coupled with the fact the river was unbelievably low and clear (are you ticking off all the excuses?), and you have a recipe for 15 hours of staring at unmoving quiver tips. This isn’t quite true as we did catch a good number of perch, bream and bleak however the barbel rods remained unmoved. Even though we never managed to catch the target species both Mike and I did catch a new species for us as we both had our first zander. Apparently ground bait feeders and worms are the best tactic to catch them! Not that I’m bragging (much) but mine was the biggest. After the lack of success I decided to have another go on a river but this time on a slightly smaller water in the River Blythe near Coventry. The weather was also very different as it rained non-stop. I did have a bit more success with the target species this time as I had some nice chub to over 3lb, though the resident crayfish made short work of any bait. I hope to make a few more trips to the rivers over the coming months; let’s just hope we get a bit more rain to freshen them up.

Looking ahead it will be the turn of my local Yorkshire and North East Branch to host the conference in 2018. Branch members will have received an email about this already and anyone who would like to be involved or if you have any ideas for the event please get in touch with myself. Paul Coulson - Director of Operations Our next Specialist Conference will be based Paul.coulson@ifm.org.uk around marine and transitional waters. Again 07960 939 836 anyone who would like to be involved, or who

Tight lines.

IFM News

Dates for your diary

Event

Date

Location

World Rivers Day

24th September

Global! Join in.

London and SE Branch Annual Sherry Evening

2nd October

Belfast

48th IFM Annual Conference â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Big Fishâ&#x20AC;?

10th to 12th October

Belfast

Diploma Field Course Weekend

21st to 22nd October

FSC Centre, Preston Montford

We are advocating the development of a national fisheries policy, covering both marine and freshwater fish. This should be an integral The Institute has produced the following position part of the 25-year plans for the Environment statement on EU exit. Below is the executive and for Food and Farming. Any national policy summary. For the full statement go to: https://ifm. needs to take much greater account of the role of org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IFM-Brexitrecreational fisheries in providing jobs and income Final.pdf and recognise the need to provide this important industry with appropriate legislative support. We wish to draw your attention to our concerns about the UK leaving the EU and the opportunities Legislation is needed to address several factors affecting the success of fisheries, specifically the that now exist. Fishing provides important social impact of barriers, low flows and siltation. We and well-being benefits; relaxation, physical believe there is now an opportunity to integrate the exercise, and a route for socialising. Fisheries provide jobs and income. It is estimated that close objectives for flood risk management, to maximise benefits for wildlife and provide resilience to climate to two million anglers currently fish inland and change. For marine fisheries, we wish to see the coastal waters in England and Wales, supporting approximately 50,000 full-time jobs. In addition, the designation of an ambitious third tranche of Marine Conservation Zones, a commitment to sustaining a marine sector employs around 12,500 fishermen ban on fish discards, to preventing fishing down with a further 6,500 in processing. to the bottom of the food chain and never The decision to leave the EU provides opportunities exceeding the maximum annual catch that a to build on the successes of the last 40 years, but species can sustain. also presents a potential threat to the legislative framework which supports healthy and sustainable In the UK, we are fortunate to have very high standards of fish health. The current system of fisheries. There are several EU directives and regulations which have been beneficial for fish, their controls on notifiable disease have been successful in preventing the spread to the UK of many habitat and wildlife over the last 40 years and we diseases affecting fish. It is essential that the are concerned that failure to transfer the current current system of controls is maintained to ensure legal protections for fish and other wildlife into UK law in their entirety will be a retrograde step, which we continue to prevent the import and spread of serious and commercially damaging fish diseases. may lead to a decline in the success A key concern is that some of the legislative of both commercial and recreational fisheries. provisions treat imports of fish differently depending There are specific issues relating to Northern on whether the fish originate from an EU country or Ireland, as its land border with the Republic of a non-EU country and may be compromised by our Ireland bisects several major and minor river change in status. catchments, incorporated in three International Institute of Fisheries Managementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position statement on EU exit and fisheries

River Basin Districts. 40

IFM News

Collaboration with EU and other countries, most notably in the development of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), has provided great benefits for fish and wildlife and must continue. We would like to see a clear plan of how the loss of the EU funding mechanism will be replaced, to ensure that our fisheries resource knowledge is developed, leading to better fisheries protection and development. The IFM would welcome the opportunity to be involved in consultations on the important issues affecting fisheries which need to be addressed in the 25 year plans, green papers and subsequent legislation. We have a wide range of knowledge and expertise in fisheries which would enable us to make a valuable contribution to the future development of fisheries policy.

Jack Perks of Jack Perks Wildlife Media gave a fascinating presentation at our February evening meeting on Filming Freshwater Fish and in March, the eminent Professor Alastair Driver talked on delivering multiple benefits through catchment restoration. On a more specifically fishy theme, the last spring meeting was a double-hander given by David Mitchell (Angling Trust) and Chris Williams (New Economic Foundation) on bass management. The speakers helped to make sense of the contentious and labyrinthine nature of this topic, as summarised in the presentations’ full title, ‘Bass management - Science, economics, politics, Brexit - and even some talk about fish!’

The Branch held a very successful practical Saturday workshop for angling clubs and managers at Walthamstow in March, thanks to Rob Pearson and his team and Thames Water. In addition, For more information contact: Miran Aprahamian, the Branch has been party to joint meetings Director of Policy and field visits with the Institute of Agricultural Management Thames Branch (on Farming & Water London and SE Branch News Management) and with the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, Catchment Partnerships and Brian Knights, London and SE Branch Chairman, professional institutes associated with World Fish provides FISH with an update. So far this year, Migration Day. the Branch has held three informative and wellattended evening meetings at King’s College and Our next up-coming meeting is on October 2nd, has arranged two excellent visits. The first visit was the Annual Sherry Evening, our prestigious annual to Billingsgate Fish Market (starting at the crack of social event at the iconic Fishmongers’ Hall, with dawn, led by Barry O’Toole & Steve Colclough), presentations on the Thames Tideway and Thames the second a ‘behind-the-scenes’ conducted tour Vision Programme. Three further autumn meetings of the London Zoo Aquarium and a presentation, are planned, including the AGM, so get in touch led by Brian Zimmerman (ZSL Chief Curator) and with our Branch Secretary if you aren’t on our backed up by the ZSL Aquarium team. mailing list - Steve Colclough srcifm@gmail.com !! 41

IFM News

London Zoo Aquarium tour Peter Spillett, IFM President, reports back from a very successful London and SE Branch trip to London Zoo on a balmy summer’s evening in mid-July. Twenty members of the London Branch were met by Joe Pecorelli from the Marine and Freshwater Conservation Programme of the ZSL (Zoological Society of London), who gave a brief welcome and introduction before leading the group through the weirdly deserted complex to the aquarium building nestling beneath the fabled Mappin Terraces. It is a good 15 years ago since the London Branch last had a guided tour followed by a barbeque overlooking the Mappin Terraces, watching all the bears and mountain sheep which used to populate the lofty heights. (I recall that the write up of the visit was wittily entitled ‘Night on Bear Mountain’!). Those days are long gone – the terraces have fallen victim to escalating maintenance costs and health and safety issues. 42

The terraces are preserved however – they have listed building status – and their construction was an integral part of the building of the aquarium. The terraces hold the high level water feed tanks which service all the freshwater and seawater tanks. All this was explained to us by the ZSL Chief Curator Brian Zimmerman who gave a summary of the history of the famous building. Constructed in 1924 at a cost of £55,000, it was the largest aquarium in Britain with over 300 different species and 3,000 specimens on exhibition. He outlined the layout of the Tropical, Seawater and Freshwater Halls and the equipment which keeps the 100,000 gallons of fresh and seawater in circulation through the hundred exhibition tanks. After passing through the different halls with their spectacular inhabitants, Brian took the party for an exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the aquarium facilities. We were shown the somewhat archaic infrastructure of past and present exhibition tanks, given a lecture on the sophisticated types of

IFM News

Nevertheless construction is going ahead on an exciting new project - an 18m long display tank which will feature the ecology of a coral reef with a whole range of fish and other reef denizens. The evening concluded with a most welcome glass of wine with nibbles and we made our way out and dispersed through the leafy glades of Regents Park.

Scottish Branch update Simon McKelvey, Scottish Branch Chairman, provides an update from Scotland. After several years of uncertainty linked to the Wild Fishery Reform process, Scottish Government have confirmed a reduced ambition for the process, particularly in terms of fundamental restructuring of fishery management organisations in Scotland. Whilst there is disappointment at some missed opportunities especially in terms of funding there is now a clearer picture emerging of the future of fishery management in Scotland. The District Salmon Fishery Boards remain as the management organisations with responsibilities and powers relating to salmon and sea trout. However, the merger of the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards and Rivers and Fisheries Trusts Scotland into a new umbrella organisation Fishery Management Scotland will help to co-ordinate the activities of Boards and Trusts to deliver the most effective management possible with the resources available. Some of the ambitions of the Wild Fishery Reform process have not been abandoned and the work of a number of Scottish Government and Fishery Management Scotland working groups filtration systems employed, the complex monitoring is ongoing. IFM Scottish Branch members sit and feeding regimes, and taken through the food on all of these working groups and on the Board storage and preparation areas which included live of Fishery Management Scotland. Scottish specimens such as mealworms and locusts. Branch and its individual members will continue to promote the importance of evidence based Of particular interest was the Zoo’s pioneering work fishery management and the appropriate on seahorse conservation and we were delighted training of fishery staff to support successful and to see the rearing tanks with the latest crop of sustainable wild fisheries in Scotland. juvenile seahorses. Some of the main work streams being taken Brian finished the tour by telling us some of forward through Wild Fishery Reform include: the Zoo’s plans for the future. Funding and sponsorship are not easy to obtain as the aquarium • The development of a fishery management plan template to allow; local management is in direct competition with a whole host of more issues, identification of mitigations and actions ‘furry or cuddly’ animals, such as tigers or penguins. 43

IFM News

taken to be recorded and reported on in a format which helps inform national strategy. • Law enforcement and fishery protection. The importance of the role of Water Bailiffs employed by Fishery Boards and appointed by Scottish Ministers is recognised as is the importance of support and training for bailiffs. IFM Scotland will work closely with Fisheries Management Scotland in helping to support and facilitate further development of bailiff and enforcement training. • Staff training and continuous professional development. The training of all fishery staff including bailiffs is a high priority. A matrix of training needs is being developed to support this, training should be seen as an ongoing process of professional development. For bailiffs, passing the IFM Scottish Bailiffing exam should be seen as an entry to the profession rather like a driving theory test. This should then be followed by a programme of practical courses which allow bailiffs to develop, practise and demonstrate their skills. A programme of training and CPD is being developed for all staff involved in Scottish fishery management and Scottish Branch will work closely with Fisheries Management Scotland and the Scottish Fishery Coordination Centre to achieve this. • Angling development and promotion. There is a clear need to encourage much greater participation in angling to secure the future of Scottish fisheries. IFM Scottish Branch will be involved in all these aspects of Wild Fishery Reform. We have some changes to Branch Committee to help with this, Lorraine Hawkins has taken on much of the administrative role of Scottish Branch and Edward Rush has taken on the role of co-ordinating bailiff training courses. Recent activities and courses include: the Annual Bailiffs Conference, Scottish Bailiffs examinations, a practical bailiffing skills course held with Police Scotland which used a series of rod and line based scenarios to refresh bailiffing skills and a fish diseases course with the Fish Health Inspectorate.

Scottish Branch will continue to work with IFM nationally to develop the professional status of its members and to work with Fishery Management Scotland, Scottish Fisheries Co-ordination Centre (SFCC) and others to develop a structured programme of training opportunities for everyone involved in Scottish fishery management. We would welcome more volunteers from the membership to help run regional courses and events. Training Report IFM Certificate In total, 32 students took exams in January and they submitted 77 papers. Following these exam results 16 students completed the course. This is the highest number of Certificate students we’ve had completing the course after any round of exams since it was relaunched in 2013. We had 41 students due to take papers on June 10th and of these 22 students took the papers. IFM Diploma In June students took the new exam format of a Time Limited Open Book exam. At the moment the indications are good that the process went well and we will have the exams marked in the next six weeks, when we can review the process. 13 students are finishing the course this summer and we have four currently enrolled. We have a good level of interest from students wishing to start the course in September 2017 so we are hopeful to bring the number of students back to a more normal level. IFM Award The award commenced on October the 1st with 18 students enrolled on the full course, with a further seven taking individual units. So far we have six students ready to enroll in September. We are in the process of developing a further unit - “Fish Health and Initial Response to Mortality” to start in 2017. Short Courses IFM Training continues to run several short courses. So far in 2017 we have completed courses in electrofishing and fish rescue. IFM Training has

The Enforcement Workshops, developed with the Angling Trust and the Environment Agency, continue to be delivered and more are booked for Autumn and winter 2017. We have also delivered weekend courses for the Certificate students and the Environment Agency Award Students. Furthermore, IFM Training has been approached to run some National Fisheries Workshops in collaboration with the Environment Agency. These will be weekend courses for invited representatives from angling clubs and fisheries. The intention is to run one in each Environment Agency area, which will mean a minimum of 14 weekends over the next two years. They will start in November this year. As always IFM are always interested in any help our members can offer - if you would like to join the great team in IFM Training then please contact us. Ian Wellby Director of Training Membership A warm welcome to new members: Registered: Luke Mitchell, Andrew Weatherly, Liam Byrne and Paul Gratton Associate: John Ewing, William Greenacre and Augustin Mutamba Student: Harriet Alvis, Richard Keeble and Ben Taplin Iain Turner Development Officer

Other contacts For help with careers in fisheries, contact Careers Officer Mike Lee, careers@ifm.org.uk For advertising in FISH or on our website, contact Iain Turner, advertising@ifm.org.uk

IFM News

received initial enquiries for Freshwater Fish Identification and other short courses.

Branch Contacts If you want more information on IFM activities in your region, please contact the branch secretaries through the email addresses below: East Anglia: Andrew Sadler andrew.sadler@environment-agency.gov.uk

Ireland: Art Niven Art.Niven@loughs-agency.org London & South East: Steve Colclough srcifm@gmail.com Midlands/Lincolnshire: Ryan Taylor ryan.taylor@environment-agency.gov.uk North West: Paul Coulson paul.coulson@ifm.org.uk South West: Iain Turner swest@ifm.org.uk Southern: Iain Turner

iain.turner@ifm.org.uk

Scotland: Brian Davidson brian@rafts.onmicrosoft.com Wales: Emma Keenan emma.keenan@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Yorkshire & North East: Mike Lee

michael.lee@environment-agency.gov.uk

IFM 48th Annual Conference IFM News 2017

“The

BIG Fish”

IFM 48th Annual Conference 2017 programme Hilton Hotel, Belfast. 10th – 12th October 2017 Tuesday 10th October Tuesday 10th October

Wednesday 11th October

Paulo Prodohl, Queens University, Belfast - John Gregory Memorial Lecture

Session 4. Catchment Management Session 5. Lake Fishery Management

Joe Larscheid, American Fisheries Society - Big Lake Management

Field Trips

Session 1. Tagging and Telemetry

Poster and Drinks Reception

Session 2. Catchment Impacts

Thursday 12th October

Session 3. Environmental Change

Session 6. Transitional Waters

IFM Annual General Meeting

Session 7. Evidence

IFM Annual Conference Dinner

Session 8. Action

Breaking News

Breaking News Millions were stocked in the White Sea region of north Russia from the 1950s until 2003 to The Environment Agency has received unusually develop a net fishery. As a result, some have high and widespread reports of pink salmon established self-sustaining populations in rivers catches this year in North East England, Scotland in Russia, Finland and northern Norway. This is and Ireland. the most likely origin of the pink salmon recently caught in the UK and Ireland. Pink salmon (Onchorhyncus gorbuscha) are also known as humpback salmon. They are a How to identify a pink salmon non-native salmon species, originating from the northern Pacific Ocean. They are the smallest Two pink salmon caught in the North East net and most abundant of the five Pacific fishery in 2017 salmon species. Pink Salmon Alert

Non-native species have the potential to disturb the natural balance of our environment. Therefore, to protect our rivers and native salmon species, we are closely monitoring the situation. To do this, we need your help.

• Large black oval spots on the tail • Bluish back, silver flanks and white belly • Much smaller scales than an Atlantic salmon of the same size • Very dark mouth and tongue

What are pink salmon?

• 40-60cm in length

Pink salmon (Onchorhyncus gorbuscha), also known as humpback salmon, originate from the northern Pacific Ocean.

• Breeding males develop a distinctive hump In contrast, the native Atlantic salmon typically: • Have no spots on the tail 47

Breaking IFM News

• Usually larger (up 110cm in length) • Pale mouth and tongue • Larger scales

Slippery smuggler caught trying to sneak 600,000 live eels on to a plane – in a haul worth £1.2MILLION

• One or two black spots on the gill cover • Spots on the back above the lateral line • Thicker base of tail than a pink salmon

Atlantic salmon from the River Tyne

How you can help: If you catch a pink salmon: • If you hold a salmon rod licence do NOT return it to the river - dispatch it humanely. • If you hold a trout or coarse licence, call the Agency on 0800 807060, and if possible retain the fish in a keep net. Otherwise you should release it. • Send a photograph of the fish and details of where you caught it to Jon Shelley at the Environment Agency on: jonathan.shelley@environment-agency.gov.uk

A smuggler tried to sneak 600,000 live baby eels on to a plane.

Officers spotted the £1.2million haul hidden under a load of chilled fish at Heathrow. The European glass eels, weighing 31 stone, were bound for Hong Kong where they are a culinary delicacy.

It is illegal to export the endangered species • If possible, please make the fish available to us outside the EU. for inspection and further analysis. Otherwise, The Border Force arrested a man, 64, in a sample of the scales would be very helpful. Chessington, Surrey, for alleged customs offences. He was bailed. This information will help the Environment https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2997674/ Agency, fisheries researchers and other slippery-smuggler-caught-trying-to-sneakorganisations with an interest in fisheries management in the United Kingdom, Ireland and 600000-live-eels-on-to-a-plane-in-a-haul-worth1-2million/ Scandinavia, better understand how to manage the arrival of pink salmon in the UK. Countries agree on decisive and urgent actions to restore marine world to health At the UN Oceans Conference in June 193 Member States of the United Nations 48

In the Call for Action, countries agree to implement long-term and robust strategies to reduce the use of plastics and microplastics, such as plastic bags and single use plastics. Countries also agreed to develop and implement effective adaptation and mitigation measures that address ocean and coastal acidification, sea-level rise and increase in ocean temperatures, and to target to the other harmful impacts of climate change on the ocean. The Call recognises the The sad passing of international salmon importance of the Paris Agreement on climate conservationist Orri Vigfússon (1942 – 2017) change. https://oceanconference.un.org/media

North Sea cod back on the menu Over a decade since North Sea cod stocks came close to collapse, shoppers and diners can finally buy the popular fish with a clear conscience following the announcement that Scottish and English cod boats, which are members of the Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group, are now Marine Stewardship Council certified. Thanks to the enormous efforts of a coalition of fishing organisations with support from supermarkets, seafood brands and the industry body, Seafish, North Sea cod has passed an independent assessment against the MSC’s strict standard. The news means that – subject to strict traceability requirements – North Sea cod can now be sold in supermarkets and restaurants bearing the MSC ‘blue tick’ label, indicating that it is sustainable and fully traceable. https://www.msc.org/newsroom/news/northsea-cod-certified-as-sustainable

The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) announced with great sadness, the passing of their founder and Chairman Orri Vigfússon. Orri Vigfússon has for 27 years, tirelessly fought for the survival and restoration of the wild Atlantic salmon through the North Atlantic Salmon Fund earning him the admiration and respect of environmentalists all over the world. He was recognised internationally for his vital conservation work and was awarded with numerous distinguished awards.

Breaking News

unanimously agreed to a set of measures that will begin the reversal of the decline of the ocean’s health.

Book Review

The Healing Stream By Laurence Catlow Review by Lawrence Talks In embarking on reviewing Laurence Catlow’s new book, I was dreading reading an endless litany of fish I caught type stories. Instead it is a very personal and poignant account of how fishing (and shooting), and in particular his association with the River Wharfe, has provided a place for renewal, refreshment and perspective. As a young man, his excessive drinking brought him to a very low ebb but it was through returning to fish the Wharfe that he was able to find a renewed sense of self-worth and re-kindle a sense of excitement. Through this very personal story, Laurence recalls characters met and rivers fished from the clear waters of the Driffield Beck to the glides and pools of the River Eden. He eloquently conjures up a sense of adventure, anticipation, triumph and disappointment – all the emotions of fishing - and an association and affiliation with place grassy banks, trees, pools, riffles and the rhythm of a river. Following retirement from being head of Classics at Sedbergh School in Cumbria, Laurence embarks on what he expects to be an idyllic time of more days shooting and fishing – when a personal crisis plunges him into a nervous breakdown. This frank exploration of how fishing became impossible to contemplate during the darkest days but how it went on to form an essential part of eventual recovery, is a moving account and a new departure in angling literature.

The Healing Stream By Laurence Catlow Published by Merlin Unwin Books RRP £20.00 Length 272pages ISBN: 978-1-910723-27-2

Fish and eel pass design, fabrication and installation, including full CAD capabilities Tidal gate fish passage mitigation, including design, fabrication and installation of bespoke dampers and spring retarders Fisheries assessments and surveys, including PHABSIM studies, electro-fishing, quantitative mapping, advanced quantitative experimental design, migration and barrier studies Fisheries monitoring and R&D, including pit-tagging, DIDSON/ARIS & camera monitoring, telemetry studies, field-based experiments and product development Fisheries impact assessments of hydropower installations and appropriate mitigation measures In-house civil construction design and project management

Unit 1 Shinners Bridge, Webbers Way, Dartington, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6JY www.ďŹ shtek.co.uk

+44 (0) 1803 866680

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Members and their FISH Giles Alcock with a stunning 8lb bass caught on the Dumfries and Galloway coast

Do you have a picture of yourself with a fish? If so FISH would like to hear from you.

Send your images to: fish@ifm.org.uk