Minute of the Don District Salmon Fishery Board Meeting held at the Netherton Business Centre, Kemnay, Wednesday 28 th September 2016 at 16:00

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1 Page 1 of 6 Minute of the Don District Salmon Fishery Board Meeting held at the Netherton Business Centre, Kemnay, Wednesday 28 th September 2016 at 16:00 Present: In Attendance: Public; Apologies: Jon Davison, (JD) (Chairman) Robert Dey, (RD) Rick Fyffe, (RF) Simon Hicks, (SH) Alastair Hume (AH) Dan Newcombe (DN) Alec Paterson, (AP) Frances Russell, (FR) Brian Shand, (BS) Jim Stevenson, (JS) Mark Bilsby, (MB) William Paton, (WP) Carol Mair, (CM) Edwin Third, (ET) Jim Adie (JA) Neil Cameron, (NC) Brian Johnstone, (BJ) Jim Kerr (JK) Kenny Riddell, (KR) The Board members were reminded of their responsibilities to the Don DSFB and to state whether they had any declarable interests in agenda items. RF declared an interest at matters arising. 1. Apologies Apologies received as tabled above. 2. Chairman s Introduction JD welcomed everyone and introduced NC and BJ from Kintore Fishing Club and JA from Inverurie Angling Club. 3. Approval of Minutes and Matters Arising of Meeting held on 6 th July 2016 The minutes of the previous meeting on 6 th July 2016 were approved and signed.

2 Page 2 of 6 Matters Arising Assessments Mackinnons Solicitors have been contacted regarding the collection of the arrears of assessment. s were sent from the River Office giving a final written warning for payments to be received by 30 th September. Legal notices will be issued if payments are not received by that date. The largest debtor had been subject to an agreement but had broken that contract when they stopped paying. ACTION; CM Accounts Netherton Office Newe Catch Returns These had been circulated before the meeting. The Board were invited to look around the new office facilities, which had been rented from the beginning of September. The Cluny Office had been given notice and had agreed only to charge until the end of September. The overlap time was needed to install the equipment at the new office and clear out the old one. This will be covered under item 7a, of the agenda. The full seasons catch returns will be requested at the end of the season and the beats will be given 28 days to respond. The figures require to be completed on the Board s forms as the information requested by Marine Scotland request different information. ACTION: CM After the Wild Fisheries Reform only one form will be required and will be able to be completed online. FMP Stab Vests Kintore Fishings Triennial MB advised that not many comments had been received never the less the plan would proceed. These had been ordered, made to measure, and had been received at the River Office. JD confirmed he had contacted the club to seek reassurance on various issues regarding the taking on of Council beats prior to issuing a letter of support for the venture. BJ advised it was still under consideration by the club but will probably proceed. This will be covered under item 9, of the agenda. 4. Finance a. Financial Update to 31 st August 2016 Copies of the financial update were handed out and MB explained that one side contained the update and the reverse showed the FMP budget plan. Income: Expense: MB confirmed that income was on track and this year s Assessments would start being collected shortly. All accounts are up to date. MB commented that the engineering assessment cost for the Newe weir has been reduced from 13,000 to 10,000, plus VAT.

3 Page 3 of 6 There will be a change due to the income and expenditure once official notification is received from JK regarding vacating the property at Norman Gray Park. MB invited the Board members to come to the River Office at anytime to inspect the SAGE process for the accounts. b. Assessments This was covered in matters arising. 5. Wild Fisheries Forum (WFR) MB advised that the Scottish Government published their programme at the beginning of September, and there will be no Wild Fisheries Bill in this session. Although a timetable has not been stated the WFR will be going ahead. Fisheries Management Area talks have been positive between the Don, Dee, Ythan and Ugie. There is an agreement in principle to investigate the practicalities of forming an FMO with all 4 rivers. MB will prepare plans for a North East Fisheries Foundation (potential new name for FMO). There are currently around 70 bodies, (DSFB s and Trusts), and this figure has to be reduced to 15 FMO s. The Trusts cannot be forced into this but there seems to be a willingness to enter. ASFB have prepared likely areas covered by the new FMO s, and this has been sent to Government for their response before the end of the year. ASFB/RAFTS held an EGM to put the two organisations together. ASFB are meeting this morning to discuss taking RAFTS members under the ASFB structure and rebrand as Fisheries Management Scotland. Finance has not been discussed yet and the Financial Group have not had a meeting to date. This may be the reason government has put the reform back a year. The River Categories, which are separate to the WFR, have been announced. If Government has used the same model as previously the Don would have been a Category 3 (100% mandatory Catch & Release). Biologists Dr Lorraine Hawkins and Jamie Urquhart had many discussions with Marine Scotland and there was a change to the model so the Don remains at Category 2 for 2017 season. The Board needs to collect high quality catch data. Next year the model will take into account juvenile figures, this will assess if numbers are healthy and if the River is at carrying capacity. It is a duty to report salmon to NASCO, but not yet sea trout. 6. Annual Meeting of Qualified Proprietors a Assessment The Board discussed the level at which to set the Assessment. It was agreed not to raise the level from last year s but further discussion was taken to see if there could be a lowering of the rate. However, it was agreed that lowering the Assessment could affect the projects budgeted for and being undertaken by the Board. JD asked for approval of the Assessment remaining at last year s level. This was proposed by AH and seconded by SH and the remainder of the Board agreed unanimously. b. Annual Statutory Report, including Accounts MB presented the Annual Statutory Report which details the actives undertaken, Board policies, the Annual Accounts and rules of Governance. This had already been issued to the Board by but hard copies were handed out at the meeting. It was agreed that The Chairman s statement and the Conservation Code were to be modified slightly prior to final printing. It was agreed that if the Board required specific legal advice or action then George Alpine could be used on a specific fee basis.

4 Page 4 of 6 Accounts - The assessments to be issued and reminders as required. ACTION: CM - JD, RD and MB had been involved with the salary levels during the issuing of new employment contracts to Board staff earlier in the year. As such there was no need for the Board to decide and agree any salary adjustments for next year. - It was agreed to have the property at Norman Gray Park valued and assessed for either the rental market or for sale. Advice would be sought from Mackinnons Solicitors. JD asked for approval of the accounts. Approved by RF and seconded by FR. c Conservation Code The Board discussed the Conservation Code, stressing the need to avoid becoming a Category 3 river. It was requested that the Annual Catch Return forms highlight the possibility of the change in category status. It was agreed that an be circulated to all Board members with suggested changes to the wording on the Conservation Code to highlight the seriousness of any Category status change. ACTION: CM d. Papers for Triennial Draft papers to be issued to all proprietors were handed out to the Board for their attention. The papers covered notification of any mandates, nomination form and voting paper. To be put forward for a place on the Board a proprietor requires 2 proposers. Should more nominations for a Board place be received than are available then the example voting paper would be required to be used. The outgoing Board can recommend the size of the Board, from qualified proprietors or mandatories. Nominations need to be received by 17 th October Within 3 weeks of the Triennial, the new Board will then convene a meeting to confirm co-optees, angling representative, elect a quorum, appoint a Clerk and confirm signing authorities. 7. River Office Report a. Obstruction removal Newe Kenny McDougal from Envirocentre will attend the Board s meeting in February to present the design of potential engineering solution to dam removal. Fish surveys have all been completed. There are no issues with SEPA. All contact has been through Mrs Riley, although Mr Riley is aware of the situation. Tullynessle Weir modifications will not be completed this year. The report is between SEPA and Envirocentre, debating the design. We will need to reapply to SEPA for the money next year, around 40,000. We have responded by return so the hold-up is with SEPA. A complaint was sent to Anne Anderson and David Ogilvie. RF asked for a letter to go from the Board highlighting the points re resolution and funding. MB will draft a letter for JD. ACTION: MB b. AWPR There have been four pollution incidents, three on Green burn and one on Gough burn. ADAA have appointed legal advice. Major earthworks have finished.

5 Page 5 of 6 AWPR are to be held to account, with the support of SEPA, regarding the restoring of the rivers to a better condition than when they started work. There will be a meeting to discuss the restoration of the tributaries on the Don and the Dee. c. Planning ET advised there had been 19 applications covering housing, hydro and bridges. The Board were invited to visit the Donside Hydro and to contact ET for suitable dates. JD informed he had asked George Alpine to write a letter to the directors of the Donside Hydro development informing them of the Boards intent to remove the Cruive weir and that they needed to make potential investors aware of such, as this action could affect the water supply to the Hydro. The board had been previously informed by the development s engineer that such a removal will not impact the efficiency of the hydro. d. Bailiffing. Since July there had been 36 policing incidents, which had all been dealt with professionally. The effort is now focussed, to be in the right place at the right time. There is no lone working and the Don and Dee bailiffs are working in pairs. e. Staff Training is ongoing and the bailiffs have attended courses. All staff passed their medicals. Stab vests have been issued to the bailiffs. f. Invasive Non-Native Species Aberdeenshire Council will be approached to match the AWPR funding to control the invasive species. The Board and Trust will be involved as no-one else is tackling this. ACTION: ET g. Freshwater Pearl Mussels JD raised the issue that FPM s had been discovered in some quantity after Storm Frank. He asked about what we should be doing about their presence. MB informed that Alexander Burnett, New MP in Aberdeenshire, is now the species champion for freshwater pearl mussels. A study for the Trust is to be done and Dr Lorraine Hawkins will produce a paper. ACTION: LH 8. River Don Trust Update RD advised the FMP covers the Trust update. 9. Triennial The process was covered under item 6d, on the agenda. 10. Date of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Board will be on 24 th October, 5pm, at the Haughton Arms. The AGM & Triennial will be on 24 th October, 7pm, at the Haughton Arms.

6 Page 6 of AOB AP asked what was happening re the River Basin Management Plan. MB advised it is dependent on the priority of the river, however, even though the River Dee has been a priority river for 3 years there has still been no action. The Dee are approaching AWPR to fund two advisors to shortcut the process. RF suggested asking Anne Anderson to see if, after Storm Frank, SEPA, Landowners and Fishery Boards were working better together. Signed.. Date Jon Davison, Chairman