The Sea Trout Year 1984

Abstract

Climatic conditions favourable to sea trout production continued their decline in 1984 and the indicators are now at their lowest since records commenced in 1948. The exodus of juvenile trout was poor and the age composition of landings in the Waterville fishery suggests finnock were not well represented in the summer catches. The reduced descent of juveniles to the sea and an upward tendency in the mean smolt age of newly recruited fish combine to reduce the prospects for specimen sea trout in the short term. In 1984 seven of these fish were reported, corroborating the reported cyclical trends in their production. All indicators of the rod catch suggest that a reduction in landings took place in 1984, from 1983. The average weight of individual sea trout taken was higher than in the previous year, due to a relatively poor finnock run. The ratio of sea trout to salmon fishing days was far higher than in the previous three years. Whether it represents a genuine switch in interest to the smaller species should be investigated in future years. A scrutiny of licence returns indicates, for the second year, that late season licences yield a high proportion of the total sea trout catch. Licence returns from commercial engines are difficult to interpret. Both drift and draft, however, suggest reduced landings from 1983, of both salmon and trout.