Fishing regulations for the river Gaula for 2023

The following text is an unofficial translation of the official Fishing regulations for the river Gaula for 2023, adopted in Norwegian language only. In cases of conflict between the two versions, the Norwegian version shall prevail.

Introduction

The fishing rules were adopted by the board of the Gaula Elveierlag on 9 May 2023 based on a quota determined by the Board of Representatives of the Gaula Elveierlag on 12 December 2022.

All fishermen must register and buy the Gaula card at elveguiden.no before fishing starts.

It is the lessor's/card seller's duty to inform the fishermen of the local fishing rules, as well as check that the fishing fee and the Gaula card have been paid, and that the fishermen have a valid disinfection certificate. The individual fisherman is obliged to familiarize himself with and follow the local fishing rules.

Gaula Elveierlag has a fishing supervisor in the watercourse who, on behalf of the team, ensures that the team's fishing rules are followed. The team's fishing supervision has the authority to respond to and report breaches of the provisions of these fishing rules.

The fishing rules apply to Gaula with tributaries in the period from and including 1 June to and including 31 August.

Gaula Elveierlag reminds that all traffic in and by the river is at your own risk. Remember to travel gently in nature and do not leave litter.

The board of the river owners' association reserves the right to report possible violations of public law duties punishable by criminal penalties, if the board receives information about such matters.

§ 1 Legal fishing period

Angling for Atlantic salmon in Gaula and its tributaries is allowed from and including 1 June to and including 31 August.

§ 2 Preservation areas and fish preservation

Preservation by migration barriers. Angling from bridges and bridge-like constructions is prohibited. Angling by fish ladders and constructions which are meant to ease fish migration is prohibited.

Preservation of salmon hens (females). From and including 1 July all salmon hens are preserved from fishing and shall immediately be released in a gentle way. In cases of doubt of the sex of the fish (buck or hen), the fish shall immediately be released in a gentle way.

Preservation of sea trout. Sea trout and brown trout are preserved and shall immediately be released in a gentle way. In cases of doubt of the fish species, the fish shall immediately be released in a gentle way.

Preservation of winter-staying salmon (kelts). All winter-staying salmon are preserved and shall immediately be released in a gentle way. In cases of doubt the fish shall immediately be released in a gentle way.

§ 3 Mid-season evaluation

Before the start of the angling season, the Gaula River Owner's Association and the County Governor (Nw.: Statsforvalteren) have developed pre-agreed measures that may be enforced if the salmon migration should warrant such measures. Enforcement of such measures aim to secure a sufficient amount of spawners in order to attain the spawn stock goal at the fishing period's end.

Pursuant to section 6 of the Regulations on angling for anadromous salmon in waterways, the fish outtake shall be reduced (in cases of 50-90% attainment of spawn stock goal) or cease (in cases of <50% attainment of spawn stock goal).

In mid-July, the Gaula River Owner's Association shall assess the status of salmon migration to the Gaula waterway. Such assessment may influence on fishing times and/or fishing quota.

§ 4 Quota provisions, minimum requirements and release

The Fishing card, the Gaula card and angling fee. The fishing ticket is a personal right and may not be assigned or transferred. All individuals above the age of 18 must have paid the national angling fee in order to angle in waterways containing anadromous fish. You can buy it here. In the Gaula waterway, all individuals must purchase the Gaula card to angle in the waterway.

Quota: The quota for retained (killed) salmon is maximum 1 (one) per each day (date), 2 (two) per week (7 days), and 4 (four) per season. Each angler may only retain (kill) maximum 1 (one) salmon measured on or above 80 cm. Each angler may only catch and release maximum 3 (three) salmon each day (date).

The quota is a personal right for the respective angler and may not be assigned or transferred. It is the person seizing the fish by hook which is obliged to put the fish on that person's quota.

The 24 hour-period quota shall mean the number of salmons a person may retain (kill) and/or catch and release in the course of the date. The 24 hour period of angling follows the description of the 24 hour period as such is stated on the Fishing ticket. When a person's 24 hour-period quota has been reached, all of their angling shall immediately cease until a new 24-hour period of angling starts.

The weekly quota shall mean the number a salmons a person may retain (kill) in the course of one week. By use of 24 hour-period tickets, the weekly quota shall commence on the first 24 hour-period and last for the 6 (six) subsequent 24-hour periods. For week tickets, the description of a week follows that which is stated as a week on the Fishing ticket and days counted by dates. Season cards follow the week numbering. When a person's week quota has been reached, all of their angling shall immediately cease until a new angling week commences.

The season quota shall mean the number of salmons a person may retain (kill) in the course of a season. When a person's season quota has been reached, all of their angling shall immediately cease until a new season commences.

All farmed salmon, humpback/pink salmon and rainbow trout/steelhead shall be killed, registered and have this documented by sending a photo to the board of directors at styret@gaulaelveierlag.no. The quota regulations do not apply to killed/retained farmed salmon, humpback/pink salmon or rainbow trout/steelhead.

Minimum requirements

All salmon and sea trout below 35 cm shall be released.

Catch and release

All fish release shall happen immediately, gently, and pursuant to the prevailing guidelines, cf. lakseelver.no and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

Released fish do not count towards the quota for killed salmon but must be registered and reported as released.

Fish that appear harmed, which the angler has any reasonable doubt that may survive release, shall be killed (retained), registered and included in the angler's 24 hour-period-, weekly-, and seasonal quota. If the harmed fish is of a preserved species, sex, or size, such fish shall be registered as killed by the angler and delivered to the Gaula River Owner's Association in an approved point of delivery. Regardless of any delivery of fish, an angler may under no circumstances kill more salmon than that which is established in Regulations on angling for anadromous salmon in waterways, i.e. up to four (4) salmon in the 2023 season.

Guidelines for the angler's handling and delivery of fish

Fish brought ashore shall have its throat cut for bleeding (Nw.: bløgging) as soon as possible.

Fish shall not remain lying on the ground.

To the extent possible, any direct contact between fish and soil/earth shall be avoided.

All direct handling of the fish shall be conducted with good hand hygiene.

The fish shall be put in clean containers which are suited for coming in contact with food articles, and the fish shall be transported and delivered immediately to a delivery point.

In cases where immediate transport is not possible, the fish shall immediately be cooled down/frozen.

The requirement for cool storage is maximum 4°C.

The requirement for frozen storage is -18°C, or below.

§ 5 Use of tools and fishing methods

Catching of anadromous salmons may only be conducted by fishing rod. An angler may only use one tool at a time, with one fish line per tool, and one bait per fish line. The tool shall not be abandoned during angling.

Bait is only allowed in the form of natural worms (i.e. biological worm, e.g. earthworm/angleworm), spinning bait/spoon bait, spinner/jig, fly, and wobbler with a maximum of one treble-hook. The use of shrimp bait or artificial worm (i.e. technically produced worms, e.g. Gulp) is prohibited.

Bait shall not be used with more than one single-hook, one double-hook, or one treble-hook. The distance between the hook shaft and the hook tip shall not be greater than 13 mm, the same shaft-to-tip distance on single-hooks cannot be larger than 15 mm. In use of fly as bait, the bobber/float or fly line shall constitute the casting weight, i.e. the weight shall not be placed in the hook, in the tube, or other parts of the equipment. The use of sinker is only allowed when angling with worms.

The use of bobber/float may only be conducted with bobber/float floating on the water surface.

Any form of angling which may cause snagging (Nw.: krøking) is prohibited.

Any use of underwater drone is prohibited.

In addition to the above, the following special restrictions on tools and methods applies to the following stretches in the waterway:

A. In the great pool below the Gaulfossen , any angling in the period from 1 to 30 June must be performed with worm without sinker, or fly.

B. From Eggafossen and approximately 100 m downstream, only light angling is allowed, ref. the definition of light angling in § 8.

C. In the tributary Sokna any angling is only allowed with the following gear: worm (potentially with sinker), spinner with maximum weight of 15 g, or fly fishing. In addition, the use of spinning bait/spoon bait and wobbler with a maximum of one treble-hook is permitted if the flow of water at the Hugdal bridge metering station displays at least 15 m3.

Tools or angling methods which are not expressly permitted pursuant to this provision shall be prohibited.

§ 6 Catch reporting

All anglers shall report any catch of salmon, sea trout, brown trout, rainbow trout/steelhead, sea char, farmed salmon, and humpback/pink salmon to Gaula River Owner's Association through Elveguiden on app or web immediately and at the latest 6 hours after the catch. The same applies to fish that are to be released. All humpback/pink salmon are to be registered as humpback/pink salmon.

The catch report shall at a minimum contain date, beat/pool, species, weight, sex, length, the angler's full name, telephone number, angling equipment, and whether the fish is retained (killed) or released. The angler personally warrants that all catches are reported with correct information. Erroneous or insufficient reporting is considered a breach of the fishing regulations. All catch information will be published on the waterway's home page/elveguiden.no. Gaula River Owner's Association reserves the right to further use of pictures.

All anglers shall obtain and deliver fish-scale samples (Nw.: skjellprøver) of all retained (killed) salmon. The fish-scales shall be placed in a fish-scale envelope in which all required information is to be registered. By writing their telephone number on the scale-envelope, the respective angler agrees to receive an SMS from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute containing a response to the fish-scale sample. The telephone number will not be used for other purposes than the abovementioned, and will be deleted upon the end of the project season.

The fish-scale envelope shall be delivered to an approved delivery point in Gauldalen within 48 hours.

§ 7 Disinfection of angling equipment and other angling tools

All angling equipment and other angling tools (e.g. boats, landing nets, waders, et cetera) which has been used in other waterways in the current season shall be disinfected at an approved disinfection station in Gauldalen before being used in the Gaula waterway. A disinfection license shall be presented upon purchasing/renting of angling rights/access, and upon controls from the administration unit if the angler has angled in another waterway.

The association's web page contains an overview of disinfection stations.

At disinfection stations approved by the association, all costs related to disinfection are included in the Gaula card.

§ 8 Light angling and other exceptions applicable in extraordinary circumstances

In the event of the water flow displaying 20 m3 at the Gaulfossen metering station, any angling in Gaula river, and the tributaries Fora and Bua, is restricted to the form of light angling. The restriction of light angling shall cease when the water flow metering displays an increase to 25 m3 or above.

Light angling shall mean angling with: a) fly in which the bobber/float or floating fly line constitutes the casting weight; or b) earthworm/angleworm with or without bobber/float. The use of sinker is prohibited.

The light angling scheme shall not apply to the river stretch downstream of the high-water mark by Varmbubekken (Hølbekken) in Melhus.

In the event of the water flow displaying 8 m3 or lower at the Hugdal bridge metering station, any angling in the tributary Sokna is restricted to the form of light angling. In the event of the water flow displaying 4 m3 or lower at the same metering station, all angling in Sokna is restricted.

In the event of other unforeseen incidents which may have a large impact on the stock, the association may decide to close the waterway, or parts thereof, for any angling, or implement changes in permitted equipment and angling methods. The board of director's decision on measures to be taken shall be publicly announced. All anglers are required to observe the at all times prevailing regulations, changes to such, or special measures implemented for the waterway.

§ 9 River code of conduct

Non-stationary angling (Nw.: bevegelig fiske) shall be practiced. Angling shall be started above anglers already at the beat/pool.

All fish shall be handled with such care that it may be released, should the requirements call for release.

All anglers shall observe consideration for each other.

Any breaches of the regulations shall be reported to the association's inspection unit or directly to the Gaula River Owner's Association.

Each angling location shall be left in the state in which the angler would expect to find it.

All passage is conducted at the angler's own risk.

§ 10 Breach of the fishing regulations

Any breach of these fishing regulations may result in fines, suspension and/or exclusion from the right to angle. In special incidents or gross breaches of the association's fishing regulations, the Gaula River Owner's Association may impose more severe reactions than those that are described herein. In exceptional cases, with mitigating circumstances, the association's board of directors may impose less severe reactions than those which are described herein.

The following reactions apply to breaches of the association's fishing regulations (i.e. apply to each case of breach and per angler):

Angling without the permission of the landlord/holder of the angling right:
Fine in the amount of four thousand (4000) NOK, including exclusion from angling for the remainder of the season.

Breach of quota rules:
Fine in the amount of eight thousand (8000) NOK, including exclusion from angling for a duration of up to two (2) years.

Lack of fish-scale sample delivery:
Fine in the amount of one thousand five hundred (1500) NOK.

Breach of other regulations:
Fine in the amount of four thousand (4000) NOK.

Aiding and abetting to breaches shall be considered equal to the actual breach. The act of angling in periods of temporary closing of the waterway, or angling in restricted areas, shall be considered as a breach of quota rules.

§ 11 Acceptance from the angler

By the act of angling, purchase of the Gaula card, the fishing ticket, or by purchasing/renting the right to angle, the angler has by its action thus accepted the regulations described herein and the association's right to sanction any breaches of the regulation with a reaction. By any of the aforementioned actions, the angler has by its action accepted that breach of the fishing regulations will be enforced by the association's inspection unit and/or handled by the association's board of directors. Further, the angler accepts that the association at its own discretion may communicate relevant information on breaches of the fishing regulations to the relevant landlord/holder of angling right and/or fishing card sellers.

Disputes arising in connection with, or as a result of, any angling or angling-related activity and which are not resolved by mutual agreement, shall be settled by court proceedings before Trøndelag tingrett (District Court).