Bailiff’s Conference

Water Bailiff’s Conference 2010

The Water Bailiff’s Conference was recently held in the River Nith catchment. This event occurs in the spring of the year and is hosted in a different geographic location throughout Scotland annually. Bailiffs are given an insight into the specific issues that are dealt with in the area where the conference is hosted.

On day one of the conference, Nith District Salmon Fishery Board adopted a theme of “Industry & Environment” working together to protect the resource that the Board are statutorily responsible for. The day included a site visit to the surface coal mine at House of Water, New Cumnock. Senior Bailiff Barry Young supervised a guided tour of the coal mine workings and explained issues that can occur and impact on fish in close proximity to the mine. Biologist Deborah Parke took a second group of Bailiffs along a section of the river Nith that had previously been diverted. She described the work that the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust and the Board are doing to restore the river channel to its full potential.

Day two of the conference was devoted entirely to anti-poaching issues in the Nith catchment. Presentations by D&G Constabulary were followed by site visits to poaching “hot spots” for on-site case studies.

The Nith District Salmon Fishery Board would like to thank Scottish Coal, ATH Resources and Mr Percy Weatherall for their support with the conference.