The former Secretary of State for Wales Alun Michael issued a press statement on the 9th of April 1999 about new byelaws to conserve Salmon stocks in which he said about coraclemen…."Welsh coracle fishermen are a special case and, after considering all the representations made to me, I am pleased that I have been able to exempt them from these restrictions"…. He later explained that he had made the decision because the coraclemen mainly catch sea-trout and that they…."have a unique cultural and historical significance in Wales"….

The salmon is a migratory fish that swims from the sea into freshwater rivers to spawn in the upper reaches from where it was hatched. The majority return to their native river but, some stray to other esturaries. Most salmon die after spawning although some survive to spawn two or three times. From November to December is the spawning time in Great Britain and Ireland with females laying 470 to 750 eggs per pound of body weight The eggs are laid in the gravel beds and hatch in the spring and stay in the river a year before leaving.

Small salmon (Smolts) stay at sea from one to four years and the ones that return after only one year are called grilse. The highest jump that a salmon was known to have made was twelve feet while ascending a waterfall. Water flow and temperature are some of the factors that affect the movement of the salmon up river.

The following recipe is from the nineteenth century book "Good cookery" by Lady Llanover of Llanover Hall near Abergavenny in Gwent. The second half of the book contains an Appendix of recipes and in one is the instruction for 'crimping' fresh caught Salmon. That is to soak the fish for an hour in cold water after making two one inch incisions along the fish, then immersing into well salted vinegared fresh cold water heated to a scalding heat, then pouring off and leaving the fish to drain and slowly cool. The following day the fish can be returned to the scalding water and warmed through.

This old fashioned method was much used by cooks who preferred it to poaching because it sets the white curd and prevents the fish from becoming oily. It was also suggested by Lady Llanover dipping dressed salmon steaks in a coating of batter and then frying after sprinkling with salt then serving with 'Granville' sauce. Granville sauce was a recipe named after a relative on lady Llanover.

Sea Trout

Sturgeon

The rivers of Wales are famous for their Salmon and Sea Trout but a little known fact is of another fish visiting these rivers to breed, the Sturgeon. The fish is well known for its caviar but a mostly unknown fact is that the fish grows to the size of a shark and may weigh hundreds of pounds. A salmon of around 30 pounds would be considered a fight to land it whether on the end of an angler's line or in a coracle net but a Sturgeon that might weigh hundreds of pounds would endanger the safety of any angler or coracleman.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II can claim any Sturgeon caught in Great Britain and it was in 1969 that one was eaten at Buckingham Palace.

The fish has now been added to the priority list of protected species of special interest to the European Union. It is the Common or Baltic Sturgeon (Acipencer Sturio) the only Sturgeon species found in all the major European river systems and adjacent seas.

It is recorded that on the River Severn on the Welsh side of the river that one was stopped and turned by a coracle net to be later caught at Shrewsbury. It was weighed at 80 lb, if the coracles had not turned it how far would it have gone and might it have spawned in the upper reaches of the river, something that was common two centuries ago in many of our rivers.

In June 1896 on the Afon Tywi (River Towy) at Carmarthen a Sturgeon was caught that weighed 320 lb, was 8 feet 4 inches long and had a girth that measured 3 feet 4 inches. It was caught by Billy Boy and sold to Slippy Dick and during the netting two coracles were overturned and three nets broken. It was written in 1955 of coracles catching Sturgeon "twice in living memory" and also when "…a dozen coracles closed in on the bigger fish and brought it ashore"… This fish was exhibited at three pence a viewing. More recent confirmed sightings on the Tywi were the 4th June 1986, 11th June 1990 and the 25th June 1993.