SANACC

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The 2024 Autumn team wish to thank all of the competitors at the National semis and the final who purchased squares in the raffle for their fly box.  The draw was done at the final on Saturday 21st September and was won by Ian Cannop of Dounreay FFC.

The SANACC Committee wish to thank Fishers Direct and Vision who provided prizes in the heats and vouchers for the top three in the final; 7Plus7 Developments who sponsored the fly measures and R&E Hygiene who sponsored the waterproof catch returns.  They also wish to thank all of the fisheries that hosted the heats and semis and particularly OTFA for managing the Harray heat and the Lake of Menteith for hosting the final and providing pies for the competitors and boatmen at the end of the session.  The committee are also grateful to Ian Colligan for standing in as a port angler and fish weigher on numerous occasions and usually at short notice and also wish to thank the thirty three boatmen who gave up their Saturday to ensure the success off the final.

The competitors had cloud cover for almost all the session and although it was on the chilly side the wind was light and only really picked up late on as the sun broke through. From the outset the boats were well spread out with anglers to be seen in most parts of the Lake.  During the afternoon the majority of the boats were in open water at the eastern end.

The top eighteen rods from the final qualified for the the 2025 international teams to represent Scotland at Rutland and Menteith and with eleven members of the 2024 gold medal teams and seven previous national champions taking part it was never going to be an easy task.

Top boatman was Tyler Hay who was boating for Ronnie Gilbert and Kenny Sichi and Tyler was presented with a bottle of malt by Derek Keenan.

In second place with 15 fish for 30lb 0.1oz was Ben Robertson of Tartan Tyers and he received a voucher for £100 provided by Fishers Direct.  Ben was also in the gold medal team at the 2024 autumn international.  In third place with 13 fish for 29lb 3.4oz was Gregor Fleming of Albacats and he received a voucher for £100 provided by Fishers Direct.  Gregor was in the gold medal team at the 2024 spring international.

Scotland took the gold medal in the autumn international by a wide margin.  Read the full report on the 2024 autumn international page..

Throughout the National heats competitors had the opportunity to take part in a raffle for a presentation box of flies that had been tied by the team going to the Spring International at Lough Ennell. The raffle raised £550 which went towards the costs that the team members would have had to pay themselves.  The team wish to thank everyone who took part and helped them win the gold medal.

The box was won by Scott Henderson (photo)

Wild fisheries

Protecting the rights of anglers.

Anglers in Scotland will be shielded from increased costs. Proposals to introduce rod licences and a new wild fisheries levy will not be taken forward, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham has announced.

The Scottish Government has ruled out these measures as well as the criminalisation of freshwater fishing without written permission and proposals to overhaul the structure and remit of District Salmon Fishery Boards, following a consultation on draft provisions for a Wild Fisheries (Scotland) Bill and draft Wild Fisheries Strategy.

The Scottish Government will facilitate‎ work streams which encourage, empower and support the modernisation of fishery management, including the piloting of voluntary board mergers to identify any existing legislative issues. It will also develop a fishery management plan to trial any changes with boards and will also explore potential freshwater conservation provisions ahead of the introduction of a Bill to Parliament.

Ms Cunningham said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting our famous and valuable wild fisheries, to modernise our fishery management structures and to establish a more secure and sustainable future for this vital sector.

“Our Wild Fisheries Bill will build on our significant conservation achievements to date, including the annual salmon conservation measures, Spring Conservation Orders, and the moratorium on coastal mixed stock fishery netting for three years.

“However it’s important that we represent the interests of our anglers, that’s why we have listened to the sector’s concerns around increasing costs and restricting access to fisheries and are ruling out the introduction of rod licences and a freshwater levy.

“We’ve heard through the consultation that these steps would limit the opportunities for our anglers and potentially discourage young people from taking part. Over and above this we will work with the angling community to identify ways to increase participation and to improve engagement across the sector.  

“I am grateful for the considerable time and energy that the wild fisheries sector has given to date to help inform the programme of reform. We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders to make sure the legislation that is ultimately brought forward is robust and fit for purpose, so that anglers have confidence in the management and development of the fisheries that they depend on.”