THE famed Cadora Wye salmon fishery sold for close to half a million pounds at an auction held at The Old Court Hotel, Symonds Yat West, last week.
The hammer fell at £425,000 for the fishery but the purchaser had to pay VAT on the sale price.
The sale, widely regarded as a guide to the future of Wye fishing, was judged a success by auctioneer Mr Roger Stokes, of Russell Baldwin and Bright.
The Cadora fishery sold for above the anticipated price but the Wyesham fishery – sold for £360,000 – fell short of what was expected. The adjoining Redbrook fishery netted £140,000.
"It was swings and roundabouts. There was tremendous interest and we are very pleased with the outcome. The total sale will exceed £1.1 million," said Mr Stokes.
Riverdene Bungalow at Penallt failed to reach its reserve though bidding went to £165,000.
Mr Stokes said there were now several offers being considered for the property and he was confident it would be sold.
The fisheries were sold on behalf of the Harrison-Sheldon Group, parent company of the House of Hardy. They had previously let the fishing on a rod-per-day basis and it was also booked by firms for corporate entertainment.
With salmon stocks said to be in decline and with moves afoot to restrict fishing effort in the Wye and Severn the sale was being widely viewed as an indicator of the future of fishing.
Severn estuary fishermen – threatened with the prospect of a 10 year ban – said the sale indicated the situation was perhaps not as bad as believed.
"The suggested restrictions are all about conserving stocks on the Wye which are said to be at a very low ebb. It would clearly be impossible and a nonsense to call a halt to the very limited Severn effort while allowing the rod and line fisheries to continue on the Wye itself," said a spokesman.
"We are urging a proactive approach to conserving stock. Breeding programmes have been carried out successfully in other parts of Britain and there is no reason at all while this should not apply to the rivers in our region."