Historian Paul Murton to make first cast of salmon fishing season on the River Tay

Historian and film-maker Paul Murton will make the first cast of the River Tay salmon fishing season on Wednesday.

The Grand Tours travel broadcaster has been selected to carry out the opening day honours in the village of Meikleour in Perth and Kinross.

The opening is hosted by the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board (TDFSB), the Tay Rivers Trust, Meikleour Fishings, Perth and Kinross Council and Perthshire Chamber of Commerce.

Claire Mercer Nairne, vice-chairman of the TDSFB and owner of the Meikleour Fishings, said: “The start of a new salmon season is always a mix of anticipation, hope and to some extent concern about what is to come.

Catches last summer were much improved on many beats but of course that does not necessarily mean that this year will see a repeat.”

As the new season dawns, a new scientific study has shown that the restoration of water to and the restocking of the River Garry is already paying dividends

The study, funded by SSE Renewables, entitled Genetic Estimation of the Proportions of Stocked and Wild Salmon among the Juveniles in the Upper Garry of the River Tay, 2018-2023, has been carried out by the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The study concludes: “The 2017-2023 restoration programme has successfully returned a breeding population of Atlantic salmon to the Upper Garry”.

Calum Innes, Chairman of the Tay Rivers Trust, said: “The success of the restoration programme on the Upper Garry is heartening and an excellent example of commercial interests (SSE), the regulator (SEPA) and wild fish interests co-operating to improve salmon numbers.

“We believe that this can be employed as a blueprint for salmon restoration efforts in other locations where salmon populations have been lost because of dams or water abstraction.”

The opening ceremony takes place at 9.30am by the Meikleour boathouse. A procession of anglers to the river will be led by the Perth and District Pipe Band, headed by Pipe Major Alistair Duthie.

The traditional blessing of the boat (with a silver quaich of Dewar’s Aberfeldy 21 single malt whisky) will be performed by Murton and councillor Andrew Parrot, the deputy Provost of Perth and Kinross Council.

It will be followed by the first cast of the year by Murton, after he has popped a magnum of champagne.

Vicki Unite, Chief Executive of the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are proud to be closely associated with this charity event.

“It exemplifies private and public sectors working together to support our rivers. We share a responsibility to ensure that we are improving them and their environment, protecting valuable jobs and fostering the significant part they play in our economy.

“These are fragile assets, attracting people from all over the world to fish and enjoy.”