Angling: Bush serves up salmon
Saturday, October 13, 2007
By John Dory
Great news this week from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, which
is responsible for public fisheries in Northern Ireland. The River Bush is
having its best run of salmon for nearly 20 years.
By early October, with almost three months of the year remaining, over 3,600
salmon have been recorded through the trap at the River Bush Salmon Station,
representing the largest run of fish since the Department took over the
management of the river in 1972.
This compares with the previous highest total of 3,592 recorded in 1988.
This unprecedented run of fish is the result of a number of factors,
including the wet summer and efforts by the Department to improve freshwater
habitat and water quality, coupled with the stocking of salmon fry within
the Bush catchment, ensuring good runs of smolts.
Angling has been excellent. Over 600 salmon have been reported caught in the
special stretches at Bushmills, although with the current 'catch and
release' regime now in operation the number of fish caught may actually be
higher.
