2012 has started, and things are beginning to get hectic. The electofishing and sweep netting reports are now available on the Website (http://www.wsft.co.uk/) and the Annual Review progressing well. Now is the time to start preparing the coming work programme, and that is looking ever fuller.
Thanks to the hard work of SAMS, we will be involved in a 2 year project to look at juvenile sea lice and their movements within the bays. This will involve taking a series of plankton tows and counting the juvenile lice found. We'll also be comparing these results to the counts on the neighbouring farm. Ultimately the results will be used to help in the better development of a lice dispersal model and provide information to help in the placement of fish farm cages. An exciting opportunity for the Trust and some very useful work.
We're also starting to develop our educational work for the coming year. There will be the Ghillies Seminar on the 13th April - hopefully as there are no speakers confirmed yet! - followed by 'The Scourie Detectives' on the 8th & 9th June. If you can get to Scourie for that I would recommend it - a day for the schools followed by talks over a glass of wine on the Friday evening. Saturday is the family fun day, with guided walks and a range of stalls. You can get your lunch there as well, before heading to the Ceilidh in the evening for a bit of a knees up. Funding is still be sought but we're hopeful.
The Assynt Rangers have asked the Trust to do an electrofishing demonstration at Achmelvich on the 28th June. Come along and follow the 'ghost busters' as we catch the fish and kick up the invertebrates. Learn what's present in the rivers and talk to the Biologist. The Assynt Festival in October will also have a Trust presence, although the details are a bit sketchy just now. Its a week long festival, so lots to do.
Other than that, we'll still be electrofishing, sweep netting, trapping and pulling Himalayan Balsam if you're here and want to join us. Contact Shona to find out what's happening while you're in Sutherland as she's always happy to meet people and would love some vounteers.
