The Macallan Estate puts salmon conservation at its core through the unveiling of new sculpture

By Michelle Henderson

February 20 2023, 5:16 pm

Proprietors of The Macallan Estate in Moray have unveiled a new sculpture designed to raise global awareness of salmon conservation. Image: Big Partnership.

A new sculpture designed to raise global awareness of salmon conservation has been unveiled in Speyside.

The 300 mirrored glass fish went on display at The Macallan Estate on Saturday to coincide with the official opening of the salmon fishing season on the River Spey.

The Salmon School art installation, created by renowned American artist, Joseph Rossano in collaboration with glass artists around the world, has been suspended in the air to replicate the movement of a school of wild salmon.

It forms the latest development in the estate’s partnership with The Atlantic Salmon Trust, which supports vital conservation work in the River Spey.

Salmon School can be viewed at The Macallan Estate until May 8.

Mr Rossano said: “With its history of supporting environmental conservation and its new landmark distillery on the River Spey, The Macallan is the ideal partner to host a new iteration of the keynote art and science project, Salmon School.

“Sharing an emphasis on the vital importance of cold, clean water, Salmon School and The Macallan are working together to show what ecological recovery for the rivers of Scotland could look like, and helping visitors to The Macallan and viewers of the sculpture to visualize the finality of what is a seemingly endless resource: the wild salmon.”

Proud to be hosting the installation

The Macallan is the only single malt Scotch whisky distillery to have its own fishing beat, with more than 1.8 miles of river running through the estate.

Elizabeth McMillan, head of Insight and Sustainability at the distillery, said: “Salmon School is an art installation of global significance, and we’re proud to host it at The Macallan Estate this spring.

Salmon School, which is formed of 300 mirrored glass fish, was created by Artist Joseph Rossano in collaboration with glass artists around the world. Image: Big Partnership

“Through the power of art and community, Salmon School has brought people together from around the world as we work to find solutions to halt and reverse the global salmon crisis.

“This is the latest milestone in our ongoing work with The Atlantic Salmon Trust. We share a spirit of sustainability and community, working together towards our mutual goal to care for the extraordinary River Spey and its natural surroundings. With awareness and effort, we can restore wild salmon populations to their former glory.”

The Macallan and the Atlantic Salmon Trust have collaborated on several projects, including the Trust’s Moray Firth Tracking Project.

Launched in 2019, this was the largest acoustic tracking programme of its kind to be undertaken in Europe, aiming to discover where and why Atlantic salmon are going missing as they migrate down seven major rivers in the Moray Firth.

The Macallan is the only single malt Scotch whisky distillery to have its own fishing beat, Image: Big Partnership

The results are currently being analysed and will be announced in spring. However, early results have identified barriers to migration and flow rates as two of the main factors influencing downstream migration success of young salmon.

Mark Bilsby, chief executive at the Atlantic Salmon Trust, added: “The Macallan is one of the key supporters of the Atlantic Salmon Trust and we are immensely proud to be partnered with a brand that has sustainability and the protection of the environment at its core.”