The end of summer, 2013

Once again, time passes and I've failed to keep up with the blogging. Apologies to everyone and I hope that these erratic posts are interesting enough to keep bringing you back!

That's pretty much the end of another sampling season, with the last site electrofished this year. Not that we're completely finished - hoping to get another sweep net in at the end of October, plankton still to get and the rhododendron survey to complete - but more of that later. The nights are starting to draw in and the electrofishing equipment has been sorted and packed away. So, what have we been up to in the 3 months or so since our last update? It's been busy...

Out in the wilds!

Firstly, it's electrofishing time and we have managed to complete the surveys on 7 catchments, as well as doing some monitoring work for potential hydro-electric developments. This has all meant that we have tramped many miles of hill, moor and bog to cover the inaccessible rivers of Sutherland. We live in a wonderful part of the world, truly rugged and remote, and the electrofishing gives you the chance to really appreciate that fact! We now have 2 fit biologists anyway...!

A big salmon...

While we haven't finished the analysis yet (or started it!) and the final report will be produced at the end of the year, it's safe to say that this year has been a bit of a mixed bag on the fish front. Some systems yielded exceptionally large, plump parr while others had very small fry (4 cm in length) towards the end of September/start of October. It seems unlikely that those fish will survive the winter, but here's hoping. It has certainly been an interesting sampling season and Shona has seen parts of the area that she's never seen before!

Tag in situ

Estuary netting was also a bit mixed. While we had large numbers of fish in the Kinloch, we unfortunately drew a complete blank in the Kyle of Durness. This despite many sweeps at a range of locations. Hopefully the sands will level out over the winter and we have better luck next year. The Laxford and Polla were much as normal, with 8 recaptures giving us good information on the growth rates of the sea trout within the area. While most of the recaptures came from our own sampling, it was good to have an angler submit the information from their catch. Remember, if you're fishing in the Sutherland area please look out for tagged sea trout - the little adipose fin will be missing and the tag inserted behind the left eye - and report the tag number, length, date and location to the Biologists. Remember to put the fish back as well!

View from the boat

Plankton sampling was due to finish last month, but difficulties with timing and the availability of boats, means that we will be collecting the last ever samples during October. This has been an interesting project and hopefully the end model will be useful to the fish farm and help to advise their management practices. The model should be developed by the end of 2014 - a long time to wait - and is currently being worked on by the Scottish Association for Marine Science. Thanks to Loch Duart Ltd, and more importantly their staff, for taking us out in the boats and helping with the handling of the net. Some tows were more interesting than others - in many different ways! - but all were completed with humour and good grace.

Rhododendron surveying in the rain

The rhododendron surveys are almost complete, with only the area along the side of Loch Stack to do. It was decided that this would be safest to be done from outside of the fence and therefore we're waiting on the leaves to fall and the bracken to die back. Given the winds we've been having recently, this shouldn't take too long! Hopefully Kate will manage to get it completed in the next couple of weeks and then the report can be sent off. The sooner it goes, the sooner the eradication plan can be developed and the Estate can start to remove the plants.

Biosecurity continues to play an important part in our lives. We were once again down at Nedd and Clashnessie with our volunteers pulling Himalayan Balsam. There are very few plants left now, and those that are tend to be small and hidden in the reeds and nettles. It will be difficult to make sure that the last have gone, and we'll have to keep monitoring, but it is all looking very positive.

Thankfully not from here!

The Scottish Mink Initiative has now ended, with our project officer heading off to pastures new. The Trust has taken over his duties for this area - communicating with the volunteers, making sure that they have everything that they need and updating the MinkApp - and will hopefully be able to do as good a job. Thanks must go to Gunnar for leaving such a well-oiled operation for us to follow and the volunteers for their help. Without this army of volunteers we wouldn't be able to provide such good coverage or know the status of our mink populations. If you see a mink in the area, or would like to help monitor a tunnel or raft, then please let Kate know. The more eyes on the ground the better. The same really has to be said of any non-native species, and we would welcome any reports that help us to keep the Sutherland area 'native'.

On that front - remember to 'Check, clean and dry' your equipment before coming into the area fishing, canoeing or even just walking. West Sutherland has very few non-native species - please help us to keep it that way.

Playing at work!

Other activities over the past few months include a range of meetings and training programmes - including our attendance at the  IBIS/AST Ocean Tracking Workshop in Newry, the SNH River Restoration Training in Strathpeffer and a Crown Estate sponsored wild-farmed meeting. We have also been out with the S3 from KLB High School providing advice on their project to monitor a local burn over the period of a school year. In addition, Shona was out spraying Phragmites in order to keep passage clear for migratory fish.

Competitions in action

On top of all this, we attended the Highland Field Sports Fair in Moy in August. We were sharing a stall with the Findhorn Nairn and Lossie Fisheries Trust and the Spey Foundation and had a really good time. The weather wasn't great - there was real concern about the tent at times as the wind lifted it - but it was good to talk to so many about the work of the Trust. Congratulations to the winners of 'Find the Fish' - I'm sure that you'll all really enjoy your prizes. Please let us know how you got on.

August also saw the Scourie Detectives run for another year. With lots of activities - not to mention the wonderful soup and cakes - everyone seemed to have a great time. The walks were well attended, while the less adventurous still had fun learning about Scourie, its wildlife and history, in the Hall and taking part in the many games - including feed the fish, hook the duck, throw the wet sponge and find the LDL salmon in Scourie. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped to make this a successful day. See you next year.

The Sutherland Trust

With the coming of the winter months, our focus will be moving indoors again. The mink rafts will continue to be monitored and it is hoped to get some habitat surveying completed, but in the main we need to get the data analysed from this year and the reports produced. We will also be reviewing our 'Fishery Management Plan', which will be out for consultation shortly. Watch this space - and probably more relevant the Website (www.wsft.co.uk) - for the reports as they become available.

Also with the coming of winter turns our thoughts to Christmas. For that quirky gift for the fisherman in your life - a sea trout sponsor, t-shirt, cap, exclusive flies (not available anywhere else!) or tape measure and length conversion chart - visit our shop at http://home.btconnect.com/wsft/page11.html. Get something different and solve the Christmas problems!

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!

For further updates on the Trust's work please visit our facebook page  www.facebook.com/westsutherlandfisheriestrust

or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/WSFTrust

 

2013 field season begins



We cannot believe it is April already, time definitely flies when you are having fun! The Trust calendar is filling up fast as the field season gets underway and less and less time is spent in the office. It is great to be out and about although we might not be saying that when the midges come out to play. There is just one more day to go until the annual Ghillies Seminar, an opportunity for ghillies, keepers, scientists and other river workers to come together to exchange information and raise any concerns they might have.  This year the focus is on predators and their impacts on salmonid populations.  In addition Tony Andrews of the Atlantic Salmon Trust will be giving two public talks on the Salmon at Sea (SALSEA) project on Thursday 11^th April (Lochinver village Hall at 7:45pm) and Friday 12^th April (Scourie Village Hall at 6:30) All welcome, hope to see you there.

Smolt trap at Badnabay

Last week smolt traps were successfully installed at Bhadaidh Daraich and Badnabay. Water levels are still very low due to the extended dry spell so although they are not running yet we hope to catch the first fish movements.  The main smolt run in west Sutherland tends to be in May and all smolts will be measured and identified to species before continuing their seaward migration. A small tail clip will be taken from the smolts for genetic research, and we are also hoping to tag any kelts as part of the on-going studies into population dynamics and habitat usage.



The last week of March saw the first netting of the year.  Despite the cold water temperatures reducing fish movements it was beautiful weather, and although only two sea trout were caught at both the Polla and the Laxford it was good to see everyone again and the Trust was very happy to welcome two new volunteers so many thanks to all! Unfortunately the fish from the Polla had quite a lot of damage and a high number of sea lice. If you want to find out more about netting or are interested in becoming a volunteer please visit our website at http://home.btconnect.com/wsft/Netting.html

 

Ben Stack as viewed from the sea

As well as the monitoring of the mink rafts (still no signs of mink thankfully) the Trust has been busy with the plankton sampling as part of the sea lice dispersal project in conjunction with the Scottish Association for marine Science and Loch Duart Ltd. As it is spring we are back to sampling every month instead of every two months and it looks like our work will be cut out for us this summer as the plankton blooms! So far the lice counts are down in the March sample compared to the January sample but it will be interesting to see the changes over the coming year. It is always great to be out on the boat even if the weather is less than ideal and there was at least one day when our Michelin man layers and oilskins were a bit of an overkill.  Once again many thanks to Sonja and the boat crews for all their help.

The sea trout tracking project is moving forwards and it is still hoped that funding can be secured to determine the movements of sea trout and their marine habitat usage for conservation purposes. Other upcoming projects include ‘Mayfly in the classroom’ set to start in 2014 as part of the Trust’s educational remit. In preparation it will be mayfly in the office this year as we test the methods and try to raise the mayflies ourselves.  Electrofishing and kick sampling for freshwater invertebrates will form the main part of this year’s educational projects for P1 to P4s in May.

Small Rhododendron bush at Laxford

Looking forward to the summer work programme we hope for nice dry weather for electrofishing between July and September, although given all the good weather we have had so far we must be due for a downturn! Rhododendron mapping on the Reay Forest Estate is set to go ahead and this will involve a few weeks of fieldwork to determine the exact locations and density of bushes.  This information can then be presented as GIS maps for use in eradication programmes as Rhododendron ponticum is one of the main invasive non-native species in Sutherland. Mink rafts will also continue to be monitored around Scourie and Himalayan Balsam removed as part of the biosecurity plan.

 

There was further excitement in the office recently following the arrival of the new Trust tape measures. These are perfect for catch and release and are available in our online shop at http://home.btconnect.com/wsft/Merchandise.html

 

Trust tape measure

For further updates on the Trust’s work please visit our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/westsutherlandfisheriestrust?ref=hl#!/westsutherlandfisheriestrust or follow us on twitter!  https://www.twitter.com/WSFTrust       

 

 

Into 2013

Report writing has progressed well and we hope to get the final reports onto the Website in the next few days - just a bit more checking of grammar, spelling and basic geography! Keep an eye on the Website (www.wsft.co.uk) for final production. The Annual Review is also going well - with just one section to be completed when the report is finally received fron the contractors - but won't be available until April. This is to let us update the accounts for the year. Again, it will be available on the Website or as a hard copy from the Biologists (wsft@btconnect.com), although there will be a charge of £5 for the hard copy.

Mink raft at Tarbet

Kate is still out monitoring mink rafts on behalf of the Scottish Mink Initiative, although thankfully has yet to find any mink prints. She is only one of the many volunteers around the area involved in checking traps and their sterling work has to be recognised. Without these unsung volunteers the area would be a lot more vulnerable to the impact of this, and other, non-native species. The Trust, as part of the RAFTS network, is hoping to receive an EU grant to further maintain and extend the volunteer network and tackle non-native species within the area. Watch this space towards the autumn to see if we were successful or not.



Spawning salmon

November saw us out on the riverbanks trying to see spawning salmon - with spectacularly successful results! The dipper activity as we walked up the river was a real giveaway, and spawning was still happening when we reached the site. A first for Kate, the fish were not even remotely interested in us and we were there for about 30 minutes as they finished that redd and moved out into the middle to dig another one before heading back to our bank. Unfortunately our attempts to film the action were a bit of a disaster - too far out for the underwater camera - but exciting all the same. There's always a thrill when watching fish in the wild.


Predated during spawning time

This is obviously a popular spot with the fish, with 2 dead cock salmon found on the bank within 20 metres of each other. While sad to see, the animals had obviously been too busy to see the predator - or were just wiped out by the efforts of it all! A large number of salmon will die during and after spawning and the carcasses provide important nutrients to the system - as well as supporting our larger predators at this lean (and cold) time.

Sampling for the sea lice dispersal project (in conjunction with SAMS and Loch Duart Ltd) continues, with the latest samples collected in January. Thankfully there was a bit of a break in the weather and the second day was relatively pleasant - unfortunately the other 2 days were rough courtesy of the winds with one site having to be abandonned while another was sampled in conditions that were definitely not the best!


Sea louse nauplii - the dark spot
is an easy id feature

Analysis proved a bit better this time - very quick thanks to the lack of plankton! We still found a fair few sea lice however, and also recorded our first Nauplii. While it’s not good to see that there are sea lice out there, it is good to know that we didn’t just miss them in the blank samples and that, yes, we can identify them!

 
Big thanks have to be extended to the boat crews for their help in collecting the samples and to Sonja for her organisational skills and help with the ID. Her little tubes of home grown lice are well used for reference and the peering at poor quality photos to confirm or otherwise our ID was very gratefully received. We have many more samples to collect and analyse over the next year or so, and that will be made much easier with the LDL input.

The Sutherland Fly -
a killer for all species

Unfortunately the excitement in October of our first internet sale was short-lived. While people appear to be looking at the shop there has been little activity in the way of new sales. Hopefully the start of the fishing season will trigger interest in fishing merchandise. Our polo shirts, t-shirts, baseball caps and Sutherland Trust flies can be found at www.wsft.co.uk/merchandise.html.

Looking forward into 2013, we're starting to plan the new work programme and looking forward to the start of the field work. Sweep netting will be starting in March - hopefully the week of the 25th - then that's us monthly until October. Any volunteers out there get in touch, we'd be delighted for the help and the craig is usually good with the chance of seeing some cracking fish.

 

Other than that, the electrofishing season is planned - weather permitting - and the education programme being sorted. Over the next few years we'll be visiting the schools in order to deliver 'Pearls in the Classroom' - an SNH/RAFTS initiative, and are also keen to get 'Mayfly in the Classroom' underway. The Ghillies Seminar is also in preparation - together with 2 public talks by Tony Andrews on the AST SALSEA project and salmon at sea for April (talks will be the evening of 11th (Lochinver) and 12th (Scourie)). It is also hoped that Scourie Detectives will run this June and we'll hopefully be back to the Highland Game Fair in August, so things are looking good on that front.

 

We are also hoping to find funding for a sea trout tracking project. This will run in conjunction with a number of partners and hopefully address the issues of marine planning in connection with sea trout and sea trout conservation. While it is unlikely that this will start in 2013, there is always a chance that things may move more quickly.

We can be ‘liked’ at www.facebook.com/westsutherlandfisheriestrust or followed at @WSFTrust. We are always looking for comments and suggestions for improvement so please have a look and get in touch. We can be contacted at wsft@btconnect.com or via the website (www.wsft.co.uk).

November 2012 update

The weather changed for the worst and no more electrofishing or netting was completed in 2012. However it can still be said that the 2012 field season was a great success and the report writing will keep both Biologists busy for a few months anyway! It also doesn’t mean that the field work stopped completely.

Plankton net coming in

 Kate is still out monitoring mink rafts on behalf of the Scottish Mink Initiative, although thankfully has yet to find any mink prints. She is only one of the many volunteers around the area involved in checking traps and their sterling work has to be recognised. Without these unsung volunteers the area would be a lot more vulnerable to the impact of this, and other, non-native species.

Sampling for the sea lice dispersal project (in conjunction with SAMS and Loch Duart Ltd) continues, with the latest samples collected in October. Thankfully we’re getting faster at the analysis (that and there’s less plankton around!) and have also seen a few lice so feel happier that we’re on the right track. While it’s not good to see that there are sea lice out there, it is good to know that we didn’t just miss them in the blank samples and that, yes, we can identify them!

Plankton sample - the louse in to the left of
 centre with a pronounced 'eye spot'

 Big thanks have to be extended to the boat crews for their help in collecting the samples and to Sonja for her organisational skills and help with the ID. Her little tubes of home grown lice are well used for reference and the peering at poor quality photos to confirm or otherwise our ID was very gratefully received. We have many more samples to collect and analyse over the next year or so, and that will be made much easier with the LDL input.

Report writing is progressing well, with Kate getting to grips with the electrofishing reports while Shona deals with the rest. We’re also trying to develop other projects within the area – both alone and in combination with colleagues from other Fisheries Trusts. The latter is slow work, but will hopefully show results soon. Watch this space (and the website) for updates!

There was great excitement in the WSFT office in October when our first internet sale was recorded. The Shop hadn’t been long online, and this was some evidence that we have an internet presence and that there are others out there! Remember Christmas, and get your friendly fishermen some unusual and useful presents - polo shirts, t-shirts, baseball caps and Sutherland Trust flies - from www.wsft.co.uk/merchandise.html.

Kate has done a phenomenal job over the past few months getting the Website sorted and Facebook running. We haven’t forgotten our Twitter followers either with Facebook posts also tweeting. Thankfully a new computer also means that Shona can now update Twitter on its own. Yes, the old computer was finally consigned to the retirement home for obsolete hardware and Shona now has to get used to ‘normal’ speeds – both desktop and Internet! – which may improve productivity.

We can be ‘liked’ at www.facebook.com/westsutherlandfisheriestrust or followed at @WSFTrust. We are, however, always looking for comments and suggestions for improvement so please have a look and get in touch. We can be contacted at wsft@btconnect.com or via the website (www.wsft.co.uk).

2012 sampling season winds down

Another field season is coming to an end, mainly thanks to the change in weather. There's still hope that we can complete the last catchment - we have another couple of weeks - but all in all a great season for the Trust already and 2 very fit Biologists. Unfortunately the September netting has had to be cancelled as a result of high flows but we'll try again in October. The October netting will be the last until next March.

Kate and Shona were also to be found at Nedd and Clashnessie pulling Himalayan Balsam during August and September. While there's not much left thanks to the hard work of our volunteers in recent years, it's still important to get the last few plants and stop the spread of this highly invasive plant. We're on target to get it more or less cleared in the next couple of years, however, which is great news for the rivers and the Trust.

Kate is also continuing to monitor mink rafts on behalf of the Scottish Mink Initiative, although thankfully has not found any mink prints yet. As part of this project 'mink dogs', specially trained to find mink traces, were brought into the area during September. Thankfully no traces were found within the area, although it will continue to be trapped and/or monitored by the SMI and its volunteers to make sure of the findings.

The first weekend in August saw Kate and Shona standing in a tent on Fishermans Row at the Moy Games with the Ness & Beauly Trust. It was a really enjoyable 2 days and great to talk to the many people who came in to see us and ask about the Trust and the area. The Moy is a very good field sports event and has lots for all the family. Highly recommended for next year, where we will hopefully be attending once again, if you are looking to plan your holidays.

The Moy Games also saw the launch of the WSFT merchandise for sale - polo shirts, t-shirts and baseball caps - as well as a selection of the Sutherland Trust flies. The latter was designed for the Trust several years ago by Stan Headley and has since been featured in the Trout & Salmon. It has proved itself to be a good all round fly and been responsible for the capture of many salmon, sea trout and brown trout. All items are still available for sale at www.wsft.co.uk/merchandise.html.

Sampling for the sea lice dispersal project (in conjunction with SAMS and Loch Duart Ltd) has now started with the first samples taken at the start of September. We plan to sample the 12 sites monthly - that will definitely be weather dependent!! - and we have to say a big thanks to Loch Duart Ltd for the use of the boats and help with the trawls. This project will run for 2 years and has the potential to be really useful in the management of our sea lochs - if we can find lice.

Unfortunately it looks like many hours will be required looking down the microscope for the analysis. There's certainly a lot of plankton in most of the samples (thank you OCB4 for being relatively clear!) and it's a slow task, but hopefully we'll get faster. While we don't really want to find lice in the area in another way it would be nice to see just one or two. There are some amazing looking animals out there however, and its interesting seeing them all.

As well as looking at plankton samples, Kate and Shona have also been updating the Website, as well as dragging the Trust further into the 21st century by establishing a Facebook page. That can be viewed at www.facebook.com/westsutherlandfisheriestrust and hopefully you'll like it. We are, however, always looking for comments and suggestions for improvement so please have a look and get in touch. We can be contacted at wsft@btconnect.com or via the website (www.wsft.co.uk).

Over the next few months we will hopefully get the sweep netting and electrofishing completed and then the reports written. The sea lice dispersal project will continue over the winter and proposals for other projects developed. It looks to be a busy winter in the far north!

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!