Haaf net fishing is an ancient type ofsalmon andsea trout net fishing practised inBritain, and is particularly associated with theSolway Firth, theestuary forming part of the border betweenEngland andScotland. The technique involves fishermen standing chest-deep in the sea and using large submerged framed nets to scoop up fish that swim towards them. It is a form of fishing that is believed to have been brought to Britain by theVikings more than a thousand years ago and to have been practised in the Solway Firth since then.
The number of haaf net fishermen has dwindled over the last 50 years and the activity has been restricted bysalmon conservation measures. The haaf net fishing community has campaigned for exemptions from these restrictions and for protection as an ancient cultural activity.
Haaf net fishing is a type ofsalmon andsea trout fishing[1] which is practised inSouth West Scotland andNorth West England.[2] The wordhaaf is derived from theOld Norse for “open sea”.[3] The technique has its origins in theViking Age.[4] It is believed to have been brought to Scotland by theVikings around 900 A.D.[5] In the 1870s, one of the government's Inspectors of Salmon Fisheries,Spencer Walpole, reported that haaf net fishing was taking place in theestuaries of theLune andRibble inLancashire, and in theSevern Estuary inSouth West England.[6]
Haaf net fishing is now unique to theSolway Firth, where it has been practised for over a thousand years.[1][7][8] There are similarities withlave net fishing, practised in theSevern estuary, where the fishermen stand waist deep in the water with large Y-shaped nets. However, unlike lave netters, haaf net fishermen remain stationary in the water.[9]
In the 1970s, there were over 100 haaf net fishermen based in towns such asAnnan orGretna making a good living. From the 1980s, the economics of fishing with haaf nets meant that numbers have significantly reduced with only 30 individuals currently practising the technique.[5]
On the Scottish side of the Firth, since 2016, theScottish Government has introduced salmon conservation measures resulting in haaf net fishermen being required torelease alive any salmon they catch.[5] The English side of the Firth is regulated by theEnvironment Agency which, after a consultation process, introduced similar restrictions in 2018.[10][11]
As a consequence, the Solway’s haaf net community believes the survival of their traditions is threatened and is seeking exemptions from these requirements and official recognition that haaf netting should be protected as a culturally important and historic activity.[5][12] In response,Marine Scotland, the Scottish Government agency responsible for fish conservation, has said that the issue is that the salmon stocks of the Firth of Solway feed into rivers with differing levels of salmon sustainability and some of the rivers have low levels. Because the Firth is therefore classified as a “mixed stock fishery”, they cannot permit retention of any salmon caught.[12]
The net used has the appearance of a giantbutterfly net.[13] It is set in a rectangular wooden frame usually about 4–5 metres (13–16 ft) long and 2 metres (6.6 ft) wide supported by three legs. A central pole extends from one of the longer edges at a right angle.[4][5]
Haaf net fishing is practised by the fishermen wading out into the sea. In the Solway Firth, this can mean walking out overmudflats for up to one mile. Once in the sea, they position themselves and wait for the tide toebb or flood. The depth of the water can be up to chest height.[5][14]
The technique involves the haaf net being submerged in the water, while the fisherman holds it upright with the central pole. When a salmon swims into the net the fisherman tilts the pole backwards to scoop the net upwards, thereby trapping the fish.[4] The fisherman then kills the fish by clubbing it.[14]
Unique to the inner Solway, haaf netting has been practised in Annan for over a thousand years.
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