Fishing Rights in Shetland

[DARRON SMITH]

[***Mod Edit - Thread split from Blue Green algae thread***]

 

well apparently the Spigge Loch belongs to the RSPB.

How someone thought it was theres to sell i'll never know.

anyone have any ideas on how that happened?

Also if it is all above board what restrictions can they place on people using the loch?

[Ghostrider]

^^ The RSPB probably own "something" in connection with the loch, exactly what that "something" is though would make an interesting (and very long and very expensive) court case.

[skaterboy]

This is Shetland and the fishing is open to all, if some damn fools wish to spend their money introducing foreign species of fish to our waters I am within my rights to remove them,

I have found that rainbow trout belly makes rather good sea trout bait.

[DARRON SMITH]

SKATERBOY

Now I'm confused

If you go to the Shetland Anglers Association it states

 

>>>To fish for trout in Shetland, anglers must first buy a Shetland Anglers Association permit. These are available in Shetland or from this website.<<< http://www.shetlandtrout.co.uk/permits.html

 

So what your saying is under Scottish law the captor owns his catch.

[JimIvens]

This is Shetland and the fishing is open to all, if some damn fools wish to spend their money introducing foreign species of fish to our waters I am within my rights to remove them,

I have found that rainbow trout belly makes rather good sea trout bait.

Spiggie Loch is a nature reserve owned by the RSPB and they can dictate the usage of the loch. They have rented the angling rights to Shetland Angling Association with the proviso that no internal combustion engines are used. Shetland Angling Association has put the restriction on its members that 'fly fishing' is the only angling method to be used. Only SAA members are allowed to use the loch which contains wild brown trout and seatrout. It is a Nature Reserve. There are no rainbow trout or other introduced species in the loch.

[DARRON SMITH]

JimIvens thanks for your info

can you tell me the story of Benston loch?

[JimIvens]

It is a commonly held myth that loch fishing is 'free for all' in Shetland. As in all of Scotland, the angling rights are held by the landowner unless they sell them. SAA have negotiated exclusive rights to many of the lochs in Shetland including Benston, Tingwall, Asta, all of the waterboard lochs and many others that would be too tedious to list here. Spiggie and Benston are fly only, but spinning is permitted in any of the others. SAA stock the lochs it controls with localy sourced brown trout and it stocks the burns with seatrout, which is why when the seatrout fishery is struggling throughout Scotland ours is still robust. It is worth spending £25 on a membership for that reason alone, and children and OAP's are free.

[Ghostrider]

Only SAA members are allowed to use the [spiggie] loch....

 

That is disputed at a few locations.

[JimIvens]

Only SAA members are allowed to use the [spiggie] loch....

 

That is disputed at a few locations.

I would welcome hearing other peoples views on the legality of trout fishing in Shetland. Most folk I have spoken to seem to think that you can fish anywhere anytime. I have never seen any legal documents to support this. In fact the only thing I have seen written down is the SAA's position. If other documents exist saying anything else, I would like to know just to clarify the position.

[JohanofNess]

Only SAA members are allowed to use the [spiggie] loch....

 

That is disputed at a few locations.

 

Was thinking that myself, used to fish in Spiggie a little bit when I was younger, casting from the land my grandparents owned and I can't remember anyone telling me we couldn't catch anything in the loch.

[Ghostrider]

^^ Specific to the Spiggie Loch, the situation exists that some boundaries are ambiguous, and that over time the water level of the loch has risen. Resulting in areas of water now overlying what was dry land not all that long ago. Some of the affected landowners/occupiers contend that as they hold legal title/occupancy rights to the land now submerged, that it follows the waters which comprise that submersion, and everything done with them and within them they hold legal title/occupancy rights to as well. The matter is further complicated by it being alleged that the twice the loch was sold most recently (approx 1970 and mid 1980's) no specific boundary was stated in the title (a common practice by some local solicitors of that era), it was simply sold "as is". As a result there exists a situation where at some locations there are not entirely insignificant areas of loch water that no-one has clear title to.

 

Plus, as JohanofNess says, there is also the issue of fishing etc rights held by adjoining landowners/occupiers. I can't comment on those as its something I've had no experience of, but it is also a known issue.

[DARRON SMITH]

ok tell me this. if a web site that many tourist might visits, states that to fish trout in shetland requires you to buy a permit. is this not fraud????

 

surly many lochs in shetland are still covered by scottish law????

 

scottish law states >>>>Until captured, freshwater fish are wild animals. Once captured, the fish belongs at common law to the captor.<<<<<

[MJ]

I'm sure those who issue river permits may disagree with you. never had to pay for a permit, but it is poaching if you don't obtain permission. some places are stocked, others are "managed". I know that some "managed" rivers had problems with the influx of eastern europeans. Hasten to add I don't fish, but it's a great activity for youth clubs, hence the obtaining of free permits.

[JohanofNess]

As a matter of interest when did the RSPB buy Spiggie Loch?.

[DARRON SMITH]

and who from???