Fleet District Salmon Fishery Board

Salmon fishing rights in Scotland are private heritable titles that are registered separately from land. As such these titles can be bought and sold like any other property.

In Scotland, the cost of the local administration, protection and improvement of the fisheries is privately financed by the proprietors. The district boards finance their work by levying a rate on the salmon fishery owners in the district. Elected representatives of those owners provide the core of the membership of the Board. However, since 1986, the boards are required also to include representatives of salmon anglers and salmon netsmen in the district. A further revision to the constitution of the boards was made in 1999 to allow for even wider representation on the boards by other parties who may have an interest or stake in salmon stocks or fisheries.

Powers

• to act, undertake works and incur expenses for the protection and improvement of the fisheries within their districts, for the increase of salmon and sea trout and the stocking of the district with these fish.
• to impose financial assessments on each salmon fishery in the district, and to charge interest on arrears.
• to borrow funds, and to incur a wide range of expenditure in furtherance of their powers and duties.
• to appoint bailiffs to enforce the salmon fisheries legislation.
• exempt persons from certain provisions of the law for scientific or other purposes.
• to sue in the name of the clerk.

Duties

• to appoint a clerk.
• to maintain a list of proprietors within the DSFBs district.
• to produce an annual report and audited accounts and to consider these at an AGM.
• to call a triennial electoral meeting.

Clerk (contact details)

Richard Durling
Girthon Old Manse
Gatehouse of Fleet
Castle Douglas
DG7 2DD

Telephone: 07790495698

DSFB Membership

Chairman: Richard Gilbey
Treasurer: see clerk details above
Upper Proprietors: Richard Gilbey (Rusko Estate), Elspeth Sutton (Cally Estate), Kay Paton (Murray-Usher Foundation), Mark Hannay (Cardoness Estate)
Invitees - Galloway Fisheries Trust

The Water of Fleet Salmon Fishery Management Plan (2023 - 2028) is available to view here

Date and location of next meeting: Fleet DSFB AGM - 5:30pm 29th August 2023 at Gatehouse of Fleet Community Centre

DSFB Conservation Policy

Salmon season: 1st May – 31st October (no salmon fishing on a Sunday)

• The Water of Fleet has been designated as a Category 3 river under the Salmon Conservation Regulations. This means the killing of salmon is considered unsustainable. Compulsory catch and release of all rod caught salmon is required and contravention of the regulations will be a criminal offence. This categorisation is reviewed annually.
• To encourage catch and release of sea trout.

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