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Licensing Section
Scottish Natural Heritage
Great Glen House
Leachkin Road
Inverness
IV3 8NW
01463 725364
LICENSING@snh.gov.uk
Licensing Arrangements for
Shooting Birds to Prevent Serious
Damage to Fisheries
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR STOCKED FISHERIES
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Power to grant licences
1. Scottish Natural Heritage have authority under section 16(1)(k) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to grant licences to permit the killing or taking of wild birds for the purpose of preventing serious damage to fisheries. If the killing complies with the terms of such a licence then the prohibition in section 1 of the Act will not apply. In Scotland Scottish Natural Heritage is the licensing Authority for licences to shoot birds which damage fisheries.
Arrangements for the granting of licences
2. Scottish Natural Heritage have made the following arrangements for the granting of licences:
2.1 licences for the protection of stocked fisheries will normally only be granted to the owner or occupier;
2.2 licences will only be granted where alternative non-lethal methods of control have proved unsuccessful or impractical. Even where a licence has been granted, shooting should be undertaken in the first instance to scare rather than kill, where this is a feasible option;
2.3 for predation occurring, or likely to occur, in stocked fisheries, applications for licences will normally be considered to shoot cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), herons (Ardea cinerea), goosanders (Mergus merganser) and mergansers (Mergus serrator).
2.4 normally licences will only be issued for a specified period between 1 September and 30 April; and
2.5 Scottish Natural Heritage will consult advisors from Marine Scotland and the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA).
Serious Damage
3. Evidence of serious damage occurring, or likely to occur, must be provided before consideration will be given to granting a licence, i.e. you must complete the instructions given in 3.1 and 3.2 below. Please attach all information as copies of actual records, or compiled information, to the back of the application form if necessary.
3.1 Evidence of declining fish stocks will normally include the following:-
 type of fishery (commercial, private members, combination of commercial/private);
 dates of opening;
 monthly catch figures (numbers and weights of fish taken) for all months when fishing occurs;
 numbers of bird-damaged fish caught per month;
 net and/or gross income (please indicate which) from members fees and/or tickets sales;
 details of any netting or equivalent activities that have attempted to estimate the numbers of fish in the loch/ponds;
 estimated numbers of fish remaining in waters at the end of the fishing season, where a close season operates;
 estimated numbers and size of fish taken by birds per month;
 estimated income lost due to fish taken/damaged by birds.
In the case of stocked fisheries include:
 species/variety of stocked fish;
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 numbers of fish stocked;
 size/weight of stocked fish;
 purchase cost of stocked fish;
 dates of stocking;
 method of stocking, e.g. whether trickle or single stocking.
Where wild fish form part or all of the catch include:
 an estimate of the total annual catch made up of fish from wild origin;
 details of any fish conservation measures.
3.2 Evidence of impact of birds on the fishery will include regular bird counts.
3.3 Bird counts on and in close proximity to the site should take place at least once a day if staff are present on the site on a daily basis. If the site is not manned daily, then counts should take place several times a week. Counts should take place immediately prior to any scaring activities (see section 4.). Counts must be undertaken during those months when you wish to shoot birds, and at the time of year that damage occurs.
3.4 You must complete the form in Annex A. If you are applying for a licence to shoot more than one species, please complete a separate sheet for each species. Use new sheets for each month.
3.5 The number of birds counted is the maximum number of birds that were counted on a single occasion during the day. Do not give the cumulative number of birds seen as a result of several counts in one day.
Non-lethal methods used to deter birds
4. Licences to shoot piscivorous birds are granted only where there is no other satisfactory solution. All applicants must detail the methods that have been used to deter birds from the site, including the lengths of time during which various methods were operating. Bird deterrence at these sites can be achieved by the use of bird scaring devices. A general list of bird scaring devices is included.
4.1 Officials from the Scottish Natural Heritage may visit the site of alleged damage during assessment of an application, in order to verify any information provided on the application form and to discuss, for example, any preventative measures currently employed or used in the past.
Licence conditions
5. Licences, if issued, will include a number of stipulations and conditions. These must be adhered to, and can vary from licence to licence. Scottish Natural Heritage has the power to revoke, without prior notice, any licences granted.
Offences
6. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981:
6.1 failure to comply with the terms of a licence may make the licensee liable to prosecution for an offence; and
6.2 applicants should also note that section 5 of the Act prohibits the use of certain methods of killing or taking wild birds: traps, snares, hocks, nets, bird lime and similar substances, electrical devices, poisonous and stupefying substances, bows and cross-
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bows, explosives other than fire-arm ammunition, shotguns with large diameter barrels, automatic and semi-automatic weapons capable of holding more than 2 rounds in the magazine, illuminating and sighting devices for night shooting, artificial lighting, mirror and other dazzling devices, gas and smoke chemicals, wetting agents, sound recordings, tethered or maimed live birds as decoy and mechanically propelled vehicles in immediate pursuit.
When to apply for a licence
7. Anytime from July onward, bearing in mind that all licence applications must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the requested start date of the licence. Failure to adhere to this may result in any decision to grant a licence being delayed.
How to apply for a licence
8. Postal applications for a licence should be completed and sent to:
Licensing Section
Scottish Natural Heritage
Great Glen House
Leachkin Road
Inverness
IV3 8NW
Tel: 01463 725364
Email: LICENSING@snh.gov.uk
All applications should be accompanied by a map (of suitable scale), with the boundary of the fishery clearly marked on it.
Further Information
9. Further information regarding licensing arrangements can be obtained from the above address.
10. SNH will hold your contact details on our Customer Database. All licence application
forms, licences issued and correspondence relating to licensing decisions will be stored in our electronic filing system. We will use this information to undertake licensing functions. To do this we may have to discuss applications with relevant third parties.
We manage personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The Act gives individuals the right to know what data we hold on them, how we use it and to which third parties it is disclosed.
Where appropriate we may use your information within SNH for other purposes for example: sending you our magazine, inviting you to an event or asking for your feedback.
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ANNEX A: BIRD COUNT RECORDING FORM MONTH/YEAR ..…………/………
Name of applicant:
Site named on application form:
Date
Time of count
Number of *……………….. counted
Bird activity (F=fishing; L=loafing)
Notes, e.g. weather conditions at time of count
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Goldenloch

OKdokay, so it did snow, the loch believe it or not was ice free till Friday, and I was glad to see it freeze over, as the cormorants have been relentless, every day I have to be there at daybreak just to stop them landing on the water, one bird can easily eat 3 X 2 ½ lb troot, I know, as I have many times seen them regurgitate the fish back up so that they can fly away, I used to have a SNH licence to shoot them, but the rules now to get a licence are stupid, you must have a 3 year bird count of active eating birds on your water, lose a certain amount of fish before they will even consider you for a permit, run by beurocrats with no feeling or understanding for countryside life, so I have the correct guns and licence yet if I shoot a cormorant “which is a protected Species” I would be facing a criminal charge, loose my guns, its truly nuts the people who run the nature controlling have not an inclination of what is in the real world, recently we tried in vein to let someone or public body know that we had a dead swan, what was the answer from them “zero” as for disposal, there answer was put it in a landfill bin? Interestingly last week I sat at Lindores loch car park, there must have been in excess of 50 cormorants goosanders’ on the water and 30+ in the big trees at the side of the loch, imagine the damage they could cause, Its definitely a screwed up world when it comes to wildlife, we had robins and small birds coming to the bird tables in December but with the snow what we have now is a few jackdaws about 30 and some crows the wee birds are hiding a couple of hawks hang around I assume they are getting mice and voles, never mind spring will be here soon, its March and it will soon be warm, Kaptain Kemp, Huff and Puff, Mr Imrie and colleagues, Eddie, and everyone else, lots and lots of fish in the loch, new blues, new brownies, and lots of good Rainbows await, sorry nae humps or lumps, just top quality, fully naturalised, hard fighting fish, just what the doctor ordered and plenty of them, so for some proper Fly Fishing See you soon.

Fly Fishing is a Pastime, it is not only relaxing, but also rewarding, come to the “Goldenloch” enjoy your Hobby to the max, no stress, only tranquil surroundings abundant wildlife, great fish, Brown, Blues and Rainbows, you will not be disappointed. Phone 01337840355 or 07968006367 ask for John or look up Postcode KY14 6HZ

Goldenloch

Feb 26^th-Week-08-2018

I am sure it will snow this week, this so called beast from the East is not a nice thought, but it just lets us here in the cosy UK, see how vulnerable we are to the vagaries of the weather, we need cold hard weather, it does a lot of good for fishing, only the other day whilst I was down at the loch I noticed new green shoot of weed growing in the water, I took a temperature reading and was surprised that at two feet the temperature was 6 degrees I really thought it would have been much colder, so already this morning, Monday,  we have a couple of hardy lads down at the loch today plus another two due soon, however it is cold, the difference between fishing in winter for naturalised fish and newly stocked pellet fed fish is huge the bigger stocked trout and I mean fish over 4>5 lbs are fed massive pellets and strangely enough they look just like orange FABs or blobs these pellets are full of stuff that promotes growth and also has a lot of natural protein/oils in them, Its fishing really well just now yesterday for example one boat had an excellent day with each angler catching several fish the lads on the bank similar, but due to the cold bank anglers tend to pack up quicker so its not really a fair comparison,  Kaptain Kemp arrived and fished one afternoon and I believe he did very well, quite a few fish to his net, he is obviously missing his adventures on the high seas, (boat for Sale)  but he still gets a buzz just rowing a boat, another couple due to make an appearance has got to be Huff and puff, fresh from all their operations a minus a few body parts or even better new bits installed lets hope a trip to the Glasgow Angling Centre for some new flies was on there shopping list, hold yer horses boys its still far to cold and to be honest the fish are not really moving yet, spring will soon be here and all the creepy crawlies will be moving soon

Fly Fishing is a Pastime, it is not only relaxing, but also rewarding, come to the “Goldenloch” enjoy your Hobby to the max, no stress, only tranquil surroundings abundant wildlife, great fish, Brown, Blues and Rainbows, you will not be disappointed. Phone 01337840355 or 07968006367 ask for John or look up Postcode KY14 6HZ

Goldenloch

Feb 19^th-Week-07-2018

Monday, last night it rained all night, just a constant steady rain, so when I went down to the boats, YEP, they were full, its been a cold wet week this last week , a lot of wind, frost, flat calms, just the perfect wrong kind of weather for fly fishing, more or less everything possible to keep the fish down in the murky depths, the water for the first time this year is mudded, this because the bottom and margins have been getting stirred up by the heavy wind, so how is it that fish are being caught, only ten minutes ago when I was down at the loch empting the boats, I heard a shout in the flat calm of today “fish on”, to say I was surprised is putting it mildly, as the person had just left in a boat and made there first cast, Yesterday Sunday was relatively busy and for the first time this year, there were a few on the bank, now interestingly the guys on the bank were catching fish, by that I mean the fish were well hooked and able to be landed this in contrast to the lads in the boats, an example being one lad said “well we only had 2 fish each, but we have had a great day and should have had at least 10 each” another boat with one lad catching 11 and his neighbour in the boat only getting 2, all fish being caught yesterday were on lures and pretty much deep down, yet the lads fishing were all having fun and that’s what it should be, so for sure the water level at the moment is good, the temperature is 5 degrees average, clarity best described as poor, no algae and zero weeds, pretty much what you would expect at this time of year, Forward thinking and planning is what makes fishing fun, as I have said before its all about enjoying your day, so I would like to say that come early April, Brian McGlashan, a Kirkcaldy lad and a chap who sees a future still in the art of presenting fly fishing flies to hard fighting hard to catch fish in the correct method, a guy that believes like myself that fishing is about knowledge and experience is offering a days tuition at the Goldenloch, I truly believe that Brian is the best at what he does, it would be advantageous for anglers to attend, this is not a day for beginners or youngsters wanting to learn how to fly fish, it is a day for those that can fish or think they can and want to be better, it is a day for sharing knowledge and tips, so please let me know if you want to book a place, you will not be disappointed anyways you get some free fishing as well.

Fly Fishing is a Pastime, it is not only relaxing, but also rewarding, come to the “Goldenloch” enjoy your Hobby to the max, no stress, only tranquil surroundings abundant wildlife, great fish, Brown, Blues and Rainbows, you will not be disappointed. Phone 01337840355 or 07968006367 ask for John or look up Postcode KY14 6HZ

Goldenloch

Feb 12^th-Week-06-2018

So today is February 12^th and did anyone else notice this morning that daylight came really early, that apart from the bitter cold, there seemed to be a change in the sky, it was a really clear blue with very thin clouds, the wildlife seems to have noticed it, we have had a very early chorus today from the all birds that are still feeding, perhaps spring is just around the corner, some early mild weather may be on its way, yesterday, Sunday, the fishing was a complete write off, as early anglers arrived we had a coffee and watched the temperature drop, 5 degrees, coupled with a light wind the conditions were unbearable, so after a short discussion, all decided that another day would be best, although two hardy lads did fish for an hour, both catching 1 each, but it wasn’t pleasant conditions, both fish had been returned to fight another day, Forward plans for 2018 are that stocking this year the same as last year with all fish being put in the water at an average of 1 kilo (2.2 Lbs) this is our purchase size and we can guarantee that, however we are putting in extra fish this year, a load of prime blues and brown trout, these fish may just be a tad smaller that is purely due to the fact that they take longer to grow and although they are all the same age the uniformity in size may be a bit wonky, as some grow a lot faster than others, we like to think that by sticking to this regime all the fish in the Goldenloch are of a particular size and quality, this offers to anglers a great catch, but we have other more exciting plans, plans that will change this fishery into something special, a big effort this year to try and get the loch Pond Life more in tune with nature, by encouraging certain aspects of habitat cover, that in turn should encourage more Molluscs like Ramshorn, bladder, pea, orb, snails, crustaceans like freshwater shrimp water spiders and that in turn will bring more larvae and hopefully a lot more fly life, but it all starts with allowing the grass weeds and others to be managed properly, Its easy to go out and buy large pellet fed fish that have very little natural wellbeing, but its going to take a lot more skill and management to produce fish that are more attune to wild fish and are proper hard fighting naturalised fish, by that I mean fish that are feeding entirely on natural water bourne aquatic animals, these fish will not only be healthier but should be fitter and importantly taste better they will respond hopefully better to fly life, its there wellbeing and the environment they live in  that’s important, however the most important thing is that its all for fun yours in fishing and mine in getting it right.

Fly Fishing is a Pastime, it is not only relaxing, but also rewarding, come to the “Goldenloch” enjoy your Hobby to the max, no stress, only tranquil surroundings abundant wildlife, great fish, Brown, Blues and Rainbows, you will not be disappointed. Phone 01337840355 or 07968006367 ask for John or look up Postcode KY14 6HZ