This law was created in an attempt to protect salmon and trout from commercial poaching, to protect migration routes, to prevent willful vandalism and neglect of fishery's, ensure correct licensing and water authority approval. This helps to sustain the rural inland freshwater fisheries industry, which employs around 37,000 people in the UK.
Law Sections 1 - 31 and onwards
Section 1 - Prohibits the taking or killing of salmon or trout, or assisting thereof, by the use of tools such as a firearms, light, otter lath, small boat, jack, wire, spear, gaff or snare, or any pre-designed method of foul-hooking fish or strategies to catch fish with unattended baited hooks, such as cross-line, set-line, lay-line, stroke-haul or snatch. Section 2 - Prohibits the taking of salmon or trout roe or young fish. It is also an offence to purposely disturb spawn or spawning fish, unless permission is obtained previously in writing from the water authority for a private fishery to do so for the purpose of artificial propagation. Section 3 - Prohibits the taking of salmon or trout using over-sized nets. Nets allowed must give the fish a reasonable chance of escaping. Section 4 - Prohibits the killing of salmon or trout by toxicpoisoning or polluting effluent. Section 5 - Prohibits the killing of salmon or trout by use of explosives. Section 6 - Prohibits the use of a fixedengine in waterways containing salmon or trout. Section 7 - Prohibits the use of or altering of a weir, in order to obtain strategic advantage in the catching of salmon or trout. Section 8 - Prohibits the use of or altering of a mill dams, in order to obtain strategic advantage in the catching of salmon or trout. Section 9 to 15 - It is the duty of the waterway owner that when constructing dams, screens or sluices to provide and maintain a facilitating fish pass for migrating salmon or trout. These must remain undisturbed and unfished by everyone. Fish passes must be altered by any way the water authority wishes. Section 16 - Prohibits the use of boxes or cribs in weirs and mill dams. Section 17 & 18 - Prohibits the taking of salmon or trout above or below a natural or artificial obstruction. Section 19 & 20 - Prohibits the taking of salmon or trout in a specified closed season. Section 21 - Prohibits the use of eel baskets. Section 22 - Prohibits the sale of salmon or trout between 31 August to 1 February. Section 23 - Prohibits the export of salmon or trout unless previously approved by HM Customs and Excise. Section 24 - Prohibits consignments of salmon or trout. Section 25 to 29 - Details licences required for the fishing and keeping of salmon or trout. Section 30 - Prohibits the introduction or intended introduction of any fish into an inland water, unless permission and written consent of the Regional water company is obtained beforehand. Section 31 onwards - Details administration and enforcement of this law.
