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Ancient Salmon Nets Fight for Survival
5 Oct
Summary
- Lave net fishery faces an uncertain future.
- Traditional fishing methods are declining rapidly.
- Environmental regulations are blamed by fishermen.
The historic Black Rock Lave Net Fishery, a tradition spanning over a century, faces an existential crisis. Martin Morgan, whose great-grandfather founded the fishery, expressed deep concern for its future. The practice of lave net fishing, which involves using a unique Y-shaped net to catch salmon in the challenging currents of the Severn estuary, is rapidly declining.
Morgan, one of the few remaining lave net fishermen, highlighted that the craft, practiced since the 1600s, has diminished by 80% since 2020. He attributes this decline to falling salmon stocks and increasingly stringent regulations imposed by Natural Resources Wales. Fishermen feel these regulations are stifling a sustainable practice and are not addressing the root cause: the health of the rivers themselves.
