A good start to summer 2012

With the exceptionally dry weather we have had over the last couple of months electrofishing and netting is well underway and we have been very busy here at the Trust since the last posting.  It is great to be out and about on the rivers and we have seen lots of lovely fish. To date we have completed electrofishing surveys in seven catchments starting with Bhadaidh Daraich and Badnabay, although the Bhadaidh Daraich sites looked quite different compared to last time due to the extensive growth of trees.  Fewer minnows were present at one of the Bhadaidh Daraich sites which is always a good sign. There was a good mix of fish from the Garvie, Culag and Geisgeil catchments, including one very large trout from one very small burn! Today saw the completion of the Achriesgill sites where there were nice fat salmon and trout parr as well as a few fry. Given the suitability and condition of the habitat more fish were expected although one or two did manage to escape.

As well as the usual sites the Trust has been busy surveying in the Hope catchment as part of the work for the potential hydro electric schemes on the Reay Forest Estate.  This is a beautiful area and some trout were present but far fewer fish in the upper reaches of the system. Many thanks to Don for helping to fish some of Gober sites and ensuring we were in exactly the right place! Overall the walks to sites through jungles of over the head bracken, falling into holes and climbing wobbly deer fences were definitely worth it, not to mention that Shona and Kate are now practically superfit.

Sweep netting on the Kinloch and the Kyle of Durness is now finished for this year with a lot of smolts from the Kinloch on the first sweep but no fish on the second sweep. Most of us got stuck in the mud when trying to take the net out, much to Kate's amusement. A fair few sea trout were caught in the Kyle, all in good condition. Netting on the Polla and Laxford continues monthly and so far there have been lots of fish with varying numbers of sea lice. Some particularly good looking fish were found on the Polla including the recapture of J77 (sea trout) last seen seven years ago as a wee smolt, the oldest on our records. A beautiful fish! According to the scale reading we think she has spawned three times so will have a fair few offspring. Following the processing of all fish and tagging of sea trout as part of the ongoing sea trout project all fish are released back into the water. Many thanks for the help of all our many volunteers including Andrew and the polaris, without whom the netting would not be possible. Sweep netting is a lot of fun and if you are interested in helping please see the website (http://www.wsft.co.uk/) for details of upcoming times, any help is very much appreciated.

June was a busy month with the Scourie Detectives and an electrofishing demonstration in Achmelvich. Despite a lower turnout of people than hoped, the Scourie Detectives was a well received event introducing people to the amazing wildlife and geology of Scourie, and the role of the Gaelic language within the area. The Friday was a day for local school children to learn more about their environment and included a rock pool ramble and seaweed safari. A series of talks were given on the Friday evening followed by various nature walks, craft stalls and quizzes on the Saturday, all rounded off with a ceilidh. Overall people seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a good opportunity for the Trust to promote themselves. The electrofishing demonstration turned out to be very successful with four native species (salmon, trout, eel and minnow) found as well as several wee beasties from the freshwater invertebrate kick sampling.

Shona has recently completed her training in Aberdeen and is ready to start plankton sampling to monitor juvenile sea lice movements in Eddrachilles Bay. This will be part of the sea lice project in conjunction with SAMS and the fish farm so hopefully the fieldwork will begin soon.

Currently preparations are well underway for the Moy Games on the 3rd and 4th August where the West Sutherland Fisheries Trust will be sharing a stall with the Ness and Beauly Fisheries Trust. It is hoped that this will be a good opportunity to further promote the work of the Trust and to raise awareness of the importance of fish conservation. This annual event is very popular with a wide range of stalls and activities. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area and there will also be the opportunity to buy one of our lovely new Tee shirts and hats.

Over the next few days (assuming it rains) we will be pulling Himalayan Balsam at Nedd and Clashnessie as part of the control of invasive non native species. Fortunately there is a lot less this year due to the hard work of our volunteers last year. Kate has been monitoring mink tunnels and rafts around Scourie once a week on behalf of the Scottish Mink Initiative. So far there have only been a couple of prints thought to be pine marten and small rodents, good news for us. These rafts will be monitored throughout the season.

Hopefully the weather will improve after next week so we can continue with the electrofishing programme, however we cannot complain too much as it has been pretty good so far with few midges!