Oh dear, just realised that I've really neglected the blog. Not good, and apologies to anyone that follows us in this way. New resolution - do better in future!
A lot has happened since January, as you would expect. The reports have been produced and published from the 2013 season and can be viewed on the website (
Sweep netting started in March and, thanks to a relatively dry year, has progressed well. The sea trout have been in excellent condition and with few sea lice present it's been a joy to see them. No sign of J77 yet, but we live in hope hat she will reappear. Saying that, she's a good age now and might well have died after the last spawning. Hopefully not as it would be nice to see her and see how big she's grown. Four catchments have been monitored this year, with good condition throughout and decent numbers present.
The same dry year has given us a good head start with the juvenile surveys. Here we've seen yet more good growth - with the July fry larger than some of the fry found last October. This good growth is probably the result of the mild winter and bodes well for our salmonid populations in the coming years. Still a fair way to go with the surveys but we're getting there!
Mink continue to be monitored throughout the area, thanks to our many volunteers. It would be an impossible task to keep this network going without their help but it is a vital resource. We have mink present to the south and east of us and there have been several sightings within the area. However, with the exception of one carcass there have been no signs on the many rafts or tunnels. As such we are still considered 'mink free' but if we want to stay that way then we need the help of everyone. A big 'Thank you' to you all.
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| Mussel in trouble - act like a frog! |
Pearl in the Classroom was aired this year, involving 5 of our 6 primary schools. Funded in collaboration with SNH, this is part of a Scotland-wide project aimed at protecting the Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Split into 2 groups, about 60 pupils learnt about the mussel and its role in the freshwater environment. Both groups undertook the same activities, which included a workshop followed by field visit. Thanks to the local Rangers and the school teachers for all of their help.
After a talk about the mussels, the children were split into 5 groups before taking part in a number of things from making a mussel, through scientific experiments to acting like a frog! They certainly seem to have learnt a lot and were all able to answer questions about the species.
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| A duck race? Measuring flow! |
Out in the field we looked at the fish and invertebrate populations, as well as measuring the water flow and quality. We were able to tie this in to what was good for the mussel, using the things learnt at the workshop, while having a lot of fun and, in some cases, getting very wet!
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| A busy day at the Assynt Fishing Feis |
We have had a good range of 'outreach' events over the summer, from the Ghillies Seminar, through a stall at the Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy to the Assynt Fishing Feis. In each case we were able to help with the dissemination of information on the area, fishing, fisheries management and the Trust to the wider population. These events are always fun to do - although hard work! - and its great to be able to meet so many interested and interesting individuals. Scourie Detectives will be the last event to be completed this year, and will take place on the 23rd August in Scourie Village Hall.
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| River Laxford after 'Bertha' |
The evening of August 10th brought a bit of a change to the weather and the rivers. The tail end of Hurricane Bertha hit and we had a lot of rain in a very short space of time. Sutherland is normally very good at coping with large quantities of water - more than we had this time - but not normally in that timescale. By the Monday morning (11th) roads were flooded, tracks washed away and new rivers/lochs dotted the landscape. The power of water is truly phenomenal and we were left in awe at the sights that met us. When the waters drop we'll be back out to assess the damage and see how our fish (and mussel) populations have survived. On a positive note, however, hopefully this will have brought the grilse in and helped our salmon population.
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| Practicing what we preach - disinfecting after netting |
Biosecurity is important to the Trust and we would ask all visiting water users to take some simple measures to ensure that west Sutherland remains free of non-native species. Please practice 'Check, Clean & Dry' after every day on the river or lochs, and before you move on to a different catchment. This simple measure, coupled with care from garden and pond owners as to the species they use and their disposal methods, will help to protect our rivers and lochs for years to come.
(http://www.nonnativespecies.org/checkcleandry/index.cfm)
If you would like to support or help the Trust please get in touch. We are always looking for volunteers or help with the field work - long or short term - and we'll publish our plans on the website (
http://home.btconnect.com/wsft/) or contact the Biologist. If you feel able to support us financially, you can become a member or make a donation at
http://home.btconnect.com/wsft/page10.html.
