New Environment Agency Bye-laws for England and Wales came into effect on 31st January 2009.
It is now an offence to sell rod-caught salmon or sea trout. The carcasses of all net-caught salmon and sea trout must be individually tagged after capture and the details of the fish caught recorded in an annual logbook.
These new bye-laws will act to reduce the opportunity for poachers to sell on illegally caught fish and will also reduce the number of fish caught and killed by a minority of licensed anglers who previously have offered their catch for sale.
Anglers will, however, still be able to catch and kill fish for their own consumption or to give to friends subject to other bye-laws and fishery rules.
Many anglers already practise catch and release as a matter of preference and this is very laudable as the protection of stocks should always be paramount.
The existing bye-laws introduced 10 years ago to protect spring salmon have been renewed until 2019 whereby all salmon caught by rod and line before 16th June each year must be returned to the water with the least possible injury; also salmon anglers may only fish with artificial fly or artificial lure before 16th June.
These measures are to maintain the protection of spring salmon and help to restore stocks.
There has been international concern about the state of this component of the salmon run for a number of years as they have been declining.
Salmon and sea trout anglers must also remember that on some rivers additional bye-laws are also in force.
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