Aquatic preserves known as "heritage fisheries" are found all throughout the world, each one safeguarding a unique fishing culture or ecosystem that has been historically significant. Location has less to do with a heritage fishery's designation than the preservation of a given style or era, therefore a heritage fishery could be a lake, river, or even an oceanic region. In addition to preserving fishing for future generations, the goal of heritage fishing is to relive the sport as it was practised in the past.
The Minnesota State Park system now includes Glendalough State Park. The park's land was donated to the state in the 1990s, and its lakes had been fished privately for over a century before to that. The lakes at Glendalough State Park were off-limits to anyone who wasn't a direct member of the donor's family or a guest of theirs. Therefore, the Glendalough lakes have fish populations and sizes that are more indicative of the past than of the present.
As the largest of the Glendalough Lakes, Annie Battle Lake takes anglers back in time to the Minnesota of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Any use of an engine, regardless of size, is prohibited on the lake. You can hire canoes and rowboats from the park's office, and fishing from the shore is a delight just about anywhere in the park. Gas-powered vehicles and electronic fish finders are banned.
Annie Battle Lake is a beautiful body of water that has not been tainted by oil or gas drilling, making it an ideal habitat for a wide variety of fish. In order to preserve the population for future generations, severe laws regarding catch-and-release and fishing quotas are in place. When the water level is low, the sandy bottom of the small creek that connects Annie Battle Lake to another of the park's lakes makes for great wading areas for bass fishing.
Blackrock, located on the Severn Estuary in Wales, is home to the sole remaining Lave Net Fishery in the country. This fishing method has been passed down through the centuries in treacherous tidal seas with average velocity of 7-8 knots.
Each year, the Welsh government only grants a handful of lave net fishing licences to members of a local organisation committed to protecting this traditional technique of catching salmon. Waders, rather than animal skins, are the sole obvious difference between current and historical lave netters.
The basic design of the lave net, which consists of a Y-shaped frame of wood and a net strung by hand, has not altered. Anglers "cower," or wait for the salmon to swim up to them, or listen for the unmistakable splashes that salmon make as they surface.
Before the fish swim off to deeper water, the fishermen can catch them in a net. Both the law and the tides put limits on this type of fishing.
In calm conditions, anglers have roughly 1.5 hours before low tide to hone their skills. They follow the guidance of the tides and local knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
The origins of Kjaerra Laxefiske can be traced back to 1388 on the Kjaerrafossen River in Helgeland, Norway. The "markebol," a mediaeval unit of measurement, is used to denote ownership of the two historic fisheries in this area.
In the 1950s, the houses surrounding the fishery were restored to its mediaeval timber and stone appearance, and today, salmon are caught using traditional fishing tools. The opening of the salmon pots occurs every Thursday, and visitors are welcome to come see what they've caught.
Heritage fisheries are valuable to the ecosystem and the local people wherever they may be found. In addition to the pure excitement of fishing, they also offer insight into the history of the sport and the chance to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy it.
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