THE last surviving example of the old Wye district traditional salmon fisheries, The Black Rock lave net fishermen, will hold their end-of-season open day at Black Rock picnic site, Portskewett, this Saturday (August 29) between 1pm until 5pm.

There will be an exhibition of the ancient art, demonstrations, and a film of the 2015 season will be shown.

There will also be the presentation of the Doug Brown Shield for the biggest salmon and the Bob Leonard Cup for the first salmon of the season.

Refreshments will be available, and the public are welcome to attend.

Admission is free.

Lave net fishing has been practiced on the tidal waters of the Severn estuary for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It involves wading into the muddy and chilly waters, carrying a large net with a long handle, which is placed in the water until a salmon is caught in it.

There are currently nine members of the Black Rock Lave Net Fishermen’s Association, who now have a purpose-built headquarters, where they make their equipment.

The Black Rock group are thought to be the last lave netsmen in Wales.

The best salmon so far of the 2015 season weighed in at 15lb and was caught by Rob Evans, in a place known locally as ‘The Hole’, situated west of the second Severn Crossing.