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Llynyfan Fach Hatchery
Llyn Brianne - Fish Stocks
When first built, Llyn Brianne Reservoir cut off 10 miles (98,000 m2) of the Towy previously used for spawning. The original scheme to compensate for the loss involved trapping adult salmon and ‘trucking’ them in tankers to stretches above the reservoir to breed naturally. Smolts were to be trapped on their way downstream. The scheme failed. With several other schemes available, artificial rearing was chosen at the time as the best but not only option. Subsequent research into the mortalities of reared stocks and inherent genetic intervention has suggested that creating optimum habitat could be more productive. This option remains under active consideration.
1. Llyn-y-fan Fach Hatchery – Development
Llyn-y-fan Fach lake is situated on the Black Mountain, in Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP). From 1918 until 1993, the lake was used as a direct water supply reservoir for Llanelli. Late in 1991, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW), enquired whether Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation (CFF) would be interested in its treatment works for use as a hatchery. Unfortunately, as a small voluntary group, CFF could not take on the task and NRA had no available funding. There followed many months of negotiations and hundreds of hours of work by CFF who even obtained Planning Permission for the Hatchery. Through the considerable efforts, a CFF Member was able to acquire privately, the extensive redundant water treatment property, including house, buildings and water filter beds. The whole procedure, including BBNP’s Planning Consent was conditional and founded on the premise of notional ongoing cooperation with CFF.
2. The Llynyfan Hatchery opened in November 1994. The facility is used to rear Towy and Cleddau salmon in mitigation for Llyn Brianne and Llys-y-fran Reservoirs, paid by DCWW. Towy salmon are also now being reared by a successor stocking scheme to the original CFF Towy Restoration Scheme, still paid by Towy anglers. Salmon and sea trout from other rivers are also said to be reared ( by private agreement). Fish holding and rearing tanks were designed to prevent genetic contamination between stocks from different rivers.