A new DSF Board was elected at the last AGM in April and will meet fo the first time on the 30th of this month in ART’s offices at Auchincruive, KA6 5HW. This meeting is open to the public and all are welcome to attend. It would be good for the Board to have support from day 1 so why not take this chance to come along and see things progress.
The new Board under the Chairmanship of Alex Reid we hope will settle into their new role quickly and take steps to address the issues that are facing the Board and the river. There are several points that need urgent attention and the Board will no doubt quickly address these.
At the AGM, one of the two bailiffs resigned from his post and the van has been handed back. The Board will have to decide a strategy for bailiffing on the river but Ayrshire Rivers Trust will once again take control of bailiff training which it did successfully for many years in Ayrshire until control was taken by the ex bailiff. No bailiffs have been trained and successfully passed the exam since 2016 so it is ART’s intention to offer training to anyone willing to take the exam and go forwards as a bailiff, that meets the criteria. There is an IFM exam at the end of the training but there’s plenty of help to ensure those sitting the exam know how to get through it without too much trouble.
Anyone considering becoming a bailiff should speak to Stuart at Ayrshire Rivers Trust or the new Board.
Another area that has been of constant concern is the operation of Catrine Hydro during smolt migration times. ART are assessing the current situation and if unsatisfactory, they will communicate with the hydro operators, the DSFB and SEPA to ensure solutions are forthcoming. There will be an update on this issue at the meeting.
The new Board will require support from Clubs, owners, anglers and ART so now’s the time to move forwards and offer whatever encouragement you can. It is in everybody’s interest to make the Board work effectively and sustainably, to protect the fish from all sorts of pressures they face in the river.
We look forwards to seeing a few new faces at the next meeting.
