Cromarty Firth Fishery Board

Strathrannoch restoration project update

For a number of years the Cromarty Firth Fishery Board has been working with the Forestry Commission to restore riverbank habitats in the headwaters of the Blackwater, Alness and Peffery.

The photograph below shows the view upstream of Forestry Commission ground in Strathrannoch which shows how the banks of the river were before the start of restoration.

The photograph below shows the downstream view on Forestry Commission ground where bankside vegetation is recovering and native trees have been planted and are growing well.

Ken Howie

We recently received the sad news that Ken Howie passed away last week. Ken was a Trustee of the Cromarty Firth Fishery Trust and a long term supporter of the work of the Board and Trust. His involvement in local angling and environmental education will be badly missed. In particular the Board staff will miss his enthusiasm, support and advice.

The funeral will be held on Friday the 5th of February at 12.30pm

Fishery board staff have been busy spraying giant hogweed (when the rain has stayed away !) on the Balnagown.

Giant hogweed in full flower

Before spraying

After spraying

Checking for plants missed

A ditch line close to Milton on the Balnagown before treatment in 2012.

The same ditchline at Milton 3 years on

The Scottish Mink Initiative is a community based project which works with local communities, wildlife and fisheries managers, landowners, schools, householders and local interest groups. The Initiative aims to safeguard local businesses and livelihoods which are dependent on wildlife tourism, angling and shooting.

Phase 1 saw the successful transfer of the long term mink monitoring and control programme to ten fisheries trusts across the Scottish Mink Initiative work area. The Scottish Mink Initiative have ambitious plans to eradicate breeding American mink from north Scotland. Please see link for further information, how to volunteer or report a mink sighting.

Below are some pictures of invasive critters drawn by Strathconon Primary School children. This has been part of an invasives education programme delivered by the Trust.
invasive pics

Meig smolt research

A Rotary Screw Trap has been installed on the River Meig upstream of Loch Meig this spring. The intention is to tag some of the smolts migrating downstream with electronic PIT tags and monitor their passage and survival through Loch Meig. A PIT tag decoder in Meig Dam will be used to detect tagged smolts as they pass downstream

Royal Visit

HRH Princess Anne visited the Conon and was shown some of the work of the Cromarty Board and Trust by Lord Nickson and members of staff. The visit included a demonstration of the Mayfly in the Classroom project with Strathpeffer 1ary School as well as electro-fishing and smolt tagging demonstrations.

Sea Trout fishing in the sea

In recent months there has been an increase in rod and line fishing for sea trout in the sea around the Moray Firth.  It has become clear that the conservation measures which anglers fishing the regions rivers are not being adhered to.   Anyone fishing for sea trout around the coast must have legal right and permission to do so.   Bailiffs will be checking coastal anglers during patrols and the illegal taking of sea trout may lead to prosecution.

River Bran smolt trapping

There appears to be a strong smolt run this spring with nearly 8,000 smolts trapped at the  Bran smolt trap near Achanalt by early May.  The smolts are transported by road (past a hydro dam which prevents downstream passage) and released below the lowest hydro dam on the Conon system.  Every year a thousand of these smolts are tagged with electronic PIT tags which are then read back as the returning adults pass upstream through hydro dams.

Bran Trap in operation

Smolts in trap box ready for transfer

Moray Firth Trout Initiative News

Follow the link below to the Moray Firth Trout Initiative Newsletter.  This edition has an excellent report on scale reading research in the region.  This research is only possible because of the cooperation of local anglers in providing scales.

MFTI Newsletter Spring 2014