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River Dart Emergency Salmon Protection Byelaw

Environment Agency
July 23 2015

IMPORTANT NOTICE
River Dart Emergency Salmon Protection Byelaw
Since April 2015, the Environment Agency has received numerous reports of diseased, dead and
dying salmon & sea trout in the River Dart. Migratory salmonid populations in the Dart appear to
have been particularly badly affected this year compared to other rivers in Devon and Cornwall.
Given the current vulnerable state of the Dart salmon stock and the additional impact of disease
this year, it is considered essential to protect the remaining salmon so that as many as possible
survive to spawn. We have therefore introduced an ‘Emergency Byelaw’ to protect these fish.
What this means for anglers
The byelaw came into force on 22 July 2015.
The main provisions for anglers are;
1. No retention of salmon taken by any instrument (rod and line or net) within the River Dart
catchment or its estuary, with immediate release at the point of capture.
2. All rod and line fishing in the River Dart catchment to be undertaken by artificial fly only.
We believe these measures will provide the protection salmon stocks need to give the fishery the
best chance of recovery. These provisions will remain in place until 1 June 2016 and will be
subject to review at this time. A copy of the byelaw is available from the Environment Agency on
request.
Guide to identifying salmon
(Courtesy of The Atlantic Salmon Trust)
Salmon