Media release from Otago Fish & Game

Clutha Salmon Season Shaping Up Well

This salmon season on the lower Clutha, competition in the Jones household has been a little one sided. Keen angler Sara Jones of Roxburgh, has already landed nine prized salmon from below the Roxburgh Dam, while her husband is yet to make the scoreboard.

He and other salmon anglers however, will be pleased to hear that there is plenty of time left and with the run well underway, initial signs have Fish & Game staff excited.

“Reports of a 20 lb (9 kg) fin clipped salmon as well as good numbers of other salmon between 10-20 lb, all caught at the Roxburgh Dam wall, are hoped to be indicators that anglers are in for the most productive salmon season in recent years” Fish & Game Officer Helen Keeling said.

“Confirmation of a fin clipped salmon is particularly encouraging as this identifies the salmon as a successful return from one of the hatchery releases associated with the lower Clutha salmon enhancement project. We would like to hear of others too” Ms Keeling said

Over the past three years around 230,000, hatchery raised salmon smolt have been released into the lower Clutha River, as part of a Contact Energy and Otago Fish & Game Council partnership which aims to restore numbers to the annual salmon run and improve catch rates for anglers. Last season saw the first returns of some of these hatchery raised salmon and results from angler surveys suggested that catch rates were improved.

“A reported harvest of 78 searun salmon was recorded for the 2012 season – the highest number since the angler surveys began three years ago” Ms Keeling said.

Fish & Game are anticipating this season will see the return of more salmon originating from the releases and are optimistic that lower Clutha salmon anglers will experience further improvement in catch rates.

Information provided by anglers will continue to be essential for monitoring the project’s progress and assessing the salmon run.

“Anglers have reported catching salmon from late December right through until early May and at locations throughout the lower Clutha and Pomahaka catchments” Ms Keeling said.

As to where the best chance of success was, Ms Keeling was careful not to give away too much.

“There are certainly several hotspots for catching salmon, but I don’t think it’s much of a secret that the Roxburgh Dam wall in March is likely to be the most productive”

ENDS

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