Prospects & General Comments:
March is here, the opening of the 2005 season is only a month away, fishing organisations, and anglers will be preparing for the coming season.
Any major improvements to accesses, styles and crossings will have been undertaken during the winter months leaving possibly some work with the strimmers later on in the summer but there should be a careful inspection to determine whether there are any nesting birds or breeding animal is resident before carrying out this work. This is also the month to change those main lines on the spinning reels and to purchase new monofilament for the leaders etc, there has been many big fish lost early in the season due to damaged or weakened equipment. I also strongly advise you to take extra care when wading early in the season as the riverbed may have changed due to the winter spates and could cause an unpleasant soaking at best.
January saw the river levels well above normal and hopefully this would have assisted the Seatrout in their migration back to the estuary. The Salmon seem to have spawned higher up on some tributaries; especially the ones that had the blockages removed by the Objective One habitat improvement schemes and hopefully this will be reflected in the returning numbers of Salmon in around four years.
Anglers should also be vigilant at all times regarding possible pollution or poaching incidents, if possible take photographs of any new river works, rubbish dumped on/near river banks, collect as much information and detail as possible etc. Report any suspicions to the Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation on 01239 811004 or 07977 350845 where your identity would be guaranteed to remain secret. Your observations and concerns would be investigated and steered to the appropriate authorities in the name of the Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation. The CFF is also interested in any news on the inhabitants of the rivers of Carmarthenshire; these can also be reported on the above numbers.
Experimental Direct Liming into Acidified Waters.
Acidification of upland waters is now well documented,
Catchment liming is shown to be effective at improving water quality, but it is expensive and has an ecological impact on the terrestrial flora.
Liming Llyn Brianne reservoir directly from a specially designed boat commenced in 1991. Although successful, dosing was also expensive requiring applications twice a year. In October 1996 Swedish automatic lime dosing silos were installed on the Towy and Camddwr where they enter the reservoir. These have been found to maintain a consistent water quality at a lower annual cost. However, since 1997, there has been a downward trend in alkalinity in the reservoir, suggesting that they are not dosing sufficiently during periods of high flows.
The purpose of this experimental scheme is to:
- assess the viability of the application of limestone directly to the local streams and on other rivers affected by acidification problems in Wales.
- prevent a further decline in water quality,
- continue to improve the ecology of the upper Tywi catchment.
Limestone sand remains dormant in the substrate until the flow increases to a point where the substrate is disturbed, allowing the lime to be dissolved into the water column. The flora and fauna will not suffer any detrimental effects but dozing will give the boost required to supplement the current liming regime and prevent any further decline in water quality. There should be no impact on the terrestrial flora. The optimum size for the grain of sand is 2mm.
The locations were determined by Factors such as substrate, flow and access were considered as well as any potential impact on the ecology. Three Towy sites were selected for further examination together with Nant Berwyn on the Teifi.
Dosing Requirements are calculated on a formulae based on pH values and catchment size, calculated by Clayton (1998) and indicate that the Camddwr requires 16 tones; the Towy 117 tones, Doethie 68 tones and the Berwyn 2 tones. It is anticipated that a maximum number of two deliveries of limestone sand would be required per annum.
The schemes progress would be ascertained by building on long term data, MSc students studying with EAW have been collating baseline data for the last two years. Work will continue by monitoring this initial
Liming into the Camddwr, Nant Berwyn and Towy. Depending on results, it is hoped to extend the scheme to the Doethie which has a significant effect on the Towy downstream from Llynn Brianne.
The Doethie can have a significant influence on the water quality of the river Tywi below the confluence of the two rivers. This influence is a combination of the flow regime imposed on the river Tywi by Llyn Brianne and the weather conditions at the time in the region.
The regulation of the flows leaving Llyn Brianne has resulted in a reduction in the height and frequency of periods of increased flow resulting from wet weather.
The resulting artificial flow regime reduces the amount of water from Llyn Brianne, treated with lime, which mixes with the untreated water from the Doethie. This means that the water from the Doethie can contribute a larger proportion of the total flow of the Tywi downstream of the confluence. This is particularly noticeable when the flow of the Tywi, upstream of the confluence, is low and the flow in the Doethie is high. This shift in the composition from a higher proportion of the flow of the Tywi, which has been treated by lime, to a larger percentage being untreated acidified water from the Doethie can lead to a significant decline in water quality below the confluence. The resulting deterioration in water quality can result in a decrease in the pH and an increase in dissolved aluminum. This has implications for acid sensitive fish species, such as the Shad, for which the Tywi SAC has been designated.
The regulated flows from the reservoir have additional implications for migratory fish. Prior to the construction of the dam the flows had peaks of flows which would allow migratory fish to traverse the Dinas falls. Now as a result of the regulated flows migratory fish, mainly the Salmon, are not able to traverse the Dinas falls and are suspected to enter the Doethie as an alternative. Sea trout are usually able to traverse the falls and are known to spawn in the Ystradffin, a tributary of the Tywi near the bird reserve at Dinas. The migratory fish, which do enter the Doethie, are at risk from acidic episodes. It is suspected that the Doethie cannot achieve its full fishery and ecological potential because of the acidic episodes that it is prone to.
Following the application of limestone sand any increase in the flow of the Doethie would mobilize the limestone sand, present in the substrate, and neutralize the additional acidic water. When the flow is normal in the Doethie the limestone is held within the substrate and does not have any influence on the water quality. The size of limestone sand is also a better option compared to the fine limestone powder used in the lime doser because it is heavier, so it should not be carried by the wind during delivery. It is anticipated that a maximum number of two deliveries of limestone sand would be made per annum, so once the limestone sand has been applied to the river it should have no impact on the terrestrial flora. It is expected that the flora and fauna of the Cwm Doethie would not suffer any detrimental effects from the addition of limestone sand to the river, only benefits.
It is anticipated that the addition of limestone sand would not only have benefits for the fishery of the Doethie, but would enhance the ecology of Cwm Doethie and the Tywi. It is hoped that the improvements would benefit the Tywi SAC, particularly improve water quality for Appendix III species such as the Shad, Bullhead and Lampreys. The Shad, for example, is only known to enter the Tywi as far as Llangadog, but with an improvement in water quality it may be feasible for these species to reach further up the Tywi.
This new pilot project has just been started by Environment Agency Wales and is partly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Union through the Fishing Wales Project.
These trials are a collaborative project with the Carmarthenshire
Fishermen's Federation and Cymdeithas Pysgota Tregaron Angling
Association (CPTAA).
The Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation is hosting a presentation by Niall Green of “Stopnow” and the S&TA; they are campaigning against the Irish Drift Nets. This takes place at the Halliwell Centre, Trinity Collage in Carmarthen on the evening of Sunday 10th April from 19.00 - 22.00 hours. The Welsh Assembly Government has asked to be invited to the Carmarthen meeting as 'observers'. All interested anglers are invited and encouraged to attend this important presentation, a high attendance would give further momentum to the campaign. (There will also be three replicate sessions. Saturday in Devon (morning) and Hampshire (evening) and one in Caernarfon on the Monday evening - 'hosted' by the Seiont, Gwyrfai and Llyfni AA).
There are a growing number of clubs asking their members to donate a few pounds, through a levy with their yearly subscriptions, this goes towards the salmon restocking program; the project is steered by the AEW, managed, and financed by the Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation solely through donations from anglers and private fishery owners. A small levy of just a couple of pounds would help to finance this project, without putting any extra burden on club funds desperately needed for rentals etc. Donations may also be sent direct to CFF.
Any anglers interested in getting involved in the Towy catchment and its day-to-day needs and problems can become private members of the CFF. For details, see web site below.

Please visit the Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation website at - http://www.carmarthenshire.org.uk.