A major scheme has been launched to secure the future of spring-run Atlantic salmon on the River Dee.
Named “Save the Spring,” the 20-year project sets out to protect the threatened species along the river for future generations.
Supported by the Atlantic Salmon Trust, the River Dee Trust, and the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board, it will deliver short-term benefits for the river as well as long-term measures to tackle the impacts of the growing climate and biodiversity loss crises.
The plans have been announced amid concerns that Atlantic salmon may be heading towards endangered status in Britain.
The P&J published earlier this week that the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board has recorded “very low” numbers of salmon caught in the last five years and that the current fishing season is “guaranteed to be the worst” on record.
What are the experts saying?
Dr Lorraine Hawkins, River Dee Director said “We must take urgent action to help preserve our wild salmon stocks, particularly the Dee’s iconic population of spring-run salmon.”
The expert continued: “This requires landscape-scale catchment restoration and the use of some pioneering techniques. We are acting at the scale needed to secure a long-term future for the species”.
Meanwhile, Professor Melanie Smith, from the Atlantic Salmon Trust, believes that the “Save the Spring” scheme is “one of the most important projects launched for decades.”
She said: “We all need to be focused on restoring salmon and their habitat at a catchment-scale if they are to overcome the challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.
“As well as how we can use the most up-to-date translocation methods to save the most at-risk populations.”
Trials to boost numbers
The detailed plans for the first 5 years of the programme will include developing monitored landscape-scale habitat restoration and trialing novel conservation methods to boost numbers.
It will also investigate pressures as the fish transition between the river and sea, monitoring.
