The cost of fishing the River Nith is to rise in line with inflation this year.It was agreed at the Dumfries Common Good Sub-Committee this week that fishing permit prices would be increased for the 2023 season which begins on February 25.The council is required to raise money from permits to pay the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board an annual levy, which was around £9,000 last time.
However, this is a discounted amount after the council received a rebate and therefore this year’s levy could potentially be higher.With three fishing permit pricing options, A to C, put before the committee, Lochar Councillor Ivor Hyslop suggested choosing the one that meant a slight price hike for anglers.He said: “It’s obvious from previous years that we do not have a full levy, and I think that we need to be working towards that.“I think we should be looking at option A at this time.
The risk is that we will lose fishermen, but if they’re dedicated then it’s £18 for six months fishing. £3 per month, is that going to put them off?
I don’t know.”The move was agreed by all other councillors on the committee, which means that a fishing season tickets increases from £148 to £166.50 for Nithsdale adult residents, while a junior ticket goes from £7 to £8.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk