Spring 2013

Firstly, apologies for not keeping more up to date with the Blog, but the time just seems to have passed so quickly - it's hard to believe that its nearly July already. Thanks to all those who view this and put up with the erratic posting.

The Ghillies Seminar seems so long ago now, but was a great success. Mr Tony Andrews, Atlantic Salmon Trust, gave an informative and interesting talk the evening before to the Assynt Field Club. He then gave a different talk (same theme but different focus) to the ghillies before rounding off his visit with a talk to the Scourie Detectives later in the evening. Three different talks in 3 days on the same subject was very impressive and also very well received by all who heard it. In addition to Tony, there was an interesting talk on the Spey hatchery and the genetic studies undertaken in relation to this from Brian Shaw, Biologist with the Spey Foundation. Rob Harris, Sea Mammal Research Unit, was very informative on the subject of seals and salmon and their interactions. We certainly learnt a lot and there were a number of questions generated from the audience. The tone was then lowered a bit, as Chris Horrill was unable to attend so Shona gave a good impersonation and presented his talk on the treatment of the Vesfna River, Norway, for Gyrodactylus salaris. Hopefully she did it justice and thanks have to go to Chris for allowing his talk to be hijacked as this is an important subject and lesson in biosecurity. The notes from the Seminar can be found at www.wsft.co.uk/Publications.html



Sea trout released from Badna Bay trap

The smolt traps were left running until mid-May before being removed to allow fish to run upstream. During this time, and despite them being washed out a couple of times, we had some good results. These included the recapture of F82 - originally tagged in the estuary netting in August 2012 - and the filming of an eel moving sedately around the Badaidh Daraich trap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa26tPpwm0Y). A lot of fish were recorded and the lengths and weights will give information on the condition of the fish as well as the timing of the runs and the movements of the fish from the tagging.
 



The Kinloch mudfest!

Estuary netting has continued a pace. Weather stopped the netting in April, but May and June been very successful. As well as the normal Laxford and Polla nettings, we have once again been doing the Kyle of Durness and Kinloch as part of the RAFTS Managing Interactions Project. This project covers sites around the west coast of Scotland and uses the data to look at interactions with the aquaculture industry. Netting is undertaken between May and July, with the aim of securing a minimum of 30 fish per site to give a statistically significant sample. As such, we have been netting once a fortnight over May and June. The Polla and Kinloch have already given over 30 fish, while we continue to struggle with the Kyle of Durness and the Laxford.

The Kyle of Durness has changed significantly over the winter, so we will be trying a different spot next week. As for the Laxford, I think bad luck just hit. Several of our volunteers were unavailable on one occasion - leaving us unable to do a proper sweep - while the next netting reinforced why we normally fish on spring tides only! Shona looked a bit like the teletubbies, with waders full of water and difficulty walking - much to everyone's amusement (thankfully no camera's at hand! - Shona) - while we only managed to cover about 1/2 of the estuary. Better luck next week...!

J77 being released

The Polla netting saw the return of J77 again and thankfully we were better equipped with big scales and our WSFT tape measure this time (purchase at www.wsft.co.uk/Merchandise.html), so managed to get an accurate weight and length. She is 630 mm in length and a mighty 3032 g in weight (that's about 6.75 lb in old money). Not bad for a 220 mm and 114 g smolt back in 2005! It shows that sea trout will continue to get big if given the time to grow rather than being knocked on the head. She is one beautiful fish...



Louse copepodid

Plankton sampling continues as part of the sea lice dispersal modelling project with Scottish Association for Marine Science and Loch Duart Ltd. Thanks to Sonja and all the guys for their help with the tows, taking us out on the boats and staying positive whatever the conditions. The May samples were pretty good - from a plankton point of view - although OCB1 did come close to causing tears, with  a full sock of plankton (about 1 lb in weight!). Only the second sample that's had to be subsampled during this project. Very few sea lice found that month. showing another decline over the winter. The June samples have still to be processed, but they contain a fair amount of seaweed and also jellyfish. Might be a bit harder to process but I'm sure we'll manage.

Biosecurity remains high on our agenda, and Kate continues to check the mink rafts on a regular basis. Thankfully no mink yet, but we remain vigilant - as do the many volunteers around the area. While the Scottish Mink Initiative is due to end in August, it is hoped that the volunteer network will continue - reporting any sightings to the Trust. Funding is currently being sought for this, or the continuation an SMI type project, to progress this important role.



Rhododendron at the
Allt Horn Waterfall

In addition to the mink, we have started to map rhododendron on the Reay Forest Estate. To date Kate has done much of the leg work - and is also the best one for the GIS mapping! - although Shona has done a little, and the work is progressing nicely. There are relatively large patches of rhododendron around the area, primarily associated with the houses as would be expected. The spread is probably slower than in more southerly areas - or perhaps its the peat that slows growth - but is still reasonably extensive. The one strange patch is a waterfall some distance from the nearest house with a large amount within the gorge. Could this have been an old attempt at gardening the scenic area? The ultimate aim of this work is to see the removal of the plants from throughout the Estate and the return to native plants.



Escaping eel!

Other activities over the past 2 months have included a severe dose of meeting-itus, with a large number taking place. The Annual Review has also been published and is available at www.wsft.co.uk/Publications.html. Kate has completed a number of courses - Use of Pesticides, Fish Autopsy and SFCC Habitat Survey - while Shona has gained her Boat Handling Certificate. In addition to this, we have been out with the schools looking at the burns and seas of Scourie. By teaching the children about the creatures that live in the aquatic environment we will hopefully teach them to care about the area. They certainly learnt a lot about the fish and invertebrates of the burn and we have managed to identify the electrofishers of the future!

Sowerby Whale carcass
(photo courtesy of D. Mitchell)

A phone call was taken at the office last week while Kate and Shona were out. This was one of our volunteers reporting a dead whale washed up on one of the beaches. They were passed onto the local ranger, who visited the site and reported the stranding to the appropriate body. This turned out to be a very rare sighting of a Sowerby beaked whale, so gave some excitement to all involved, although we would have prefered to see it alive. Samples were taken and we're waiting to hear the results of the autopsy. The Trust are happy to take calls on any aquatic subject and will pass the information on to the correct party.


Forward to the next few weeks, and the juvenile surveys (electrofishing) will be starting. These run from July to the end of September, and are very reliant on decent weather and low rivers. We will also be continuing with the plankton sampling,. although that is due to finish in September. This will give a full year of data, which can be used to develop and verify the sea lice dispersal model for the area. Also due to finish this year - in November - is the Rhododendron mapping. This will be used to source funding for the removal of this attractive, but highly damaging, plant.

Himalayan Balsam at Nedd

Also on the biosecurity front, we will once again be at Nedd and Clashnessie pulling Himalayan Balsam. The work seems to be having a good effect and it is still hoped that we can fully eradicate the plant in the next couple of years. Estuary netting is also set to continue, with the RAFTS sampling ending in July (Kinloch and Kyle of Durness) but the Laxford and Polla continuing until October. These data are useful in discussions with the local fish farmers and as a part of the local Area Management Agreements.

On top of all this, we will be attending the Highland Field Sports Fair, Moy, on the 2nd and 3rd August. If you're free and in the area then please join us. We'll be down in Fisherman's Row with our colleagues from the Spey and the Findhorn, Lossie and Nairn. This is always an enjoyable day for all the family, with lots of stalls, activities and demonstrations so well worth a visit. We would also appreciate the company!

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