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Sir,
The ill-conceived, divisive Land Reform Bill will damage
Perthshire's 300 small salmon fishery businesses.
Currently, beats on the Tay, Tummel, Earn and Ericht pay
rates on buildings and a substantial levy on each salmon caught
to the Salmon Fishery Board. This funds stock enhancement,
bailiffing and scientific research.
All this and more is paid for by our customers the salmon
anglers-who expect a degree of privacy which will afford them
the chance to catch a fish. Unrestricted access to recreational
and commercial canoeists and rafters will wreck current agreements
and go a long way towards destroying many rural businesses.
The £12 to £14 million that salmon angling contributes
annually to Perthshire's rural economy will not be easily
replaced by day trippers!
Scotland's salmon stocks are well cared for locally by self-funded
fishery boards and it is only in the marine environment that
catastrophic mortality occurs. Fish farm pollution, industrial
fishing, interceptory netting and huge numbers of predators
are the primary culprits. These problems are all "managed"
by that incompetent trio of Finnie, Morley and Fischler!
The Scottish Executive's Lib/Lab pact cannot expect the taxpayer
and private sector to fund their inflated salaries, pensions
and golden goodbyes whilst crippling us with uncalled for,
unwarranted ideological legislation.
As a salmon proprietor struggling to run a business on a
river that is about to be "nationalised", I would
strongly advise anyone against investing in Scotland's land
or water. With hindsight, I certainly wouldn't have!
Michael C. Smith.
The Bothy,
Burnmouth Ferry,
Stanley.
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