Conservationists in Aberdeenshire say the first stage of a pioneering project to reverse the decline of wild salmon is progressing well.
The team from the River Dee Trust captured 75 salmon smolts in the River Muick in the Cairngorms to grow in captivity last spring before releasing them back into the wild in recent weeks just in time for the spawning season.
The results have been promising so far.
Ben Catchpole is one of the biologists working on the programme.
STV NewsHe said: “Before they were released, we put radio tags on fish we released so we can keep track of where they go from here.
“I’m up here a few times a week to see where they’re travelling to and keeping track on their numbers as they pass by some of our monitoring stations in the river.”
The project is based in the River Muick, which feeds the River Dee and is similar to a model operated in Canada which successfully boosted salmon numbers there.
Conservationists say such interventions are needed for wild salmon populations as numbers sit at a record low.
Their decline is partly driven by climate change, and the dry spring parts of the country faced this year.
Dr Al Reeve said: “We took a tissue sample from the fish we captured to let us know about their genetic composition.
“We can then follow that fish using the tracker for generations to come so hopefully they will grow, leave the river and come back to spawn and boost the numbers here.
“The fish are a good indicator of clean habitats and a good environment, and they’re also an important cultural species.”
STV NewsIf the project is successful in boosting numbers in the River Muick and Dee, the model could be more widely rolled out across Scotland.
River Dee Trust director, Dr Lorraine Hawkins said: “When I first started here 15 years ago there were fish jumping in the pools and you could see dead ones along the banks after they had spawned.
“Now that is incredibly rare, it’s very sad.
“If we can keep salmon here for another ten years it gives them a chance to adapt and survive, once the genes are gone, they’re gone.”
Salmon smolts were also removed from the river this past spring to be reintroduced next autumn.
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