Torridon Sea Trout and Salmon workshop 23rd April 2024: First Notice
Posted: Wednesday 6 March, 2024 @ 13:39:53
Loch Torridon Community Centre, Tuesday 23rd April 2024, 10am to 4pm
The main aim of this workshop is to review knowledge on interactions between sea trout, wild salmon and open cage salmon farming. Until the 1990s the Loch Torridon area was well known for its sea trout and salmon fishing with the River Torridon, the River Balgy (& Loch Damh system), the smaller Shieldaig River system and several smaller coastal burns providing many opportunities for visiting anglers.
The open-cage salmon farming industry in Loch Torridon grew rapidly during the 1990s and early 2000s. By 2023 there was over 6500 tonnes of consented biomass divided between three large farms operated by Bakkafrost and MOWI.
From 1999 to 2023, the Scottish Government’s Fisheries Research Services (subsequently Marine Scotland Science) operated an upstream-downstream fish trap in the Shieldaig River to learn more about the growth and survival of sea trout in relation to salmon farming within Loch Torridon.
Much has already been published from this work, focussing on studies relating to parasitic sea lice dispersal and distribution, and return rates of sea trout to the fish trap. Summaries can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/aquaculture-interactions-shieldaig-field-station/ and a list of publications here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/aquaculture-interactions-shieldaig-field-station/pages/publications/ .
More recently (2018 to 2023), Government scientists undertook a salmon smolt and sea trout tracking study to learn more about the movements and timing of smolt emigration through Loch Torridon: https://blogs.gov.scot/marine-scotland/2020/03/18/acoustic-tracking-of-salmon-and-sea-trout-in-torridon/ .
Thus, wild sea trout and salmon populations, in relation to open cage salmon farming, have been subject to more detailed study in and around Loch Torridon, than in any other part of NW Scotland.
However, at the current time, wild salmon populations are as fragile as at any time in the past. In 2023 the Atlantic salmon in Great Britain was added to the IUCN Red list as an endangered species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/213546282/213546288#geographic-range.
There is now a need to learn as much as possible from work by Scottish Government scientists and others to understand how open cage salmon farming may be affecting wild fish populations, especially with additional challenges associated with climate change anticipated. Here are some key questions:
- Is it possible to conserve wild salmon populations in areas with a very large biomass of open cage salmon farming nearby?
- Can sea lice be managed on open cage salmon farms to levels low enough to enable wild salmon populations and sea trout fisheries to co-exist nearby?
- Is there a need to designate some important areas for wild salmon and sea trout (for example, the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area into which six major salmon rivers discharge) as salmon farm-free zones, or to put in place much more stringent measures in some areas (e.g. closed-containment salmon farming systems) to protect wild salmon populations?
We welcome contributions of talks and display; the focus must be based on science. Please contact us if interested.
Our aim is to build understanding and consensus so far as possible, to be able to provide effective management advice to protect important wild salmon populations in Wester Ross and beyond.
It is in everybody’s interests to protect remaining relatively healthy wild salmon populations.
Please contact:
Peter Cunningham (WRFT Biologist) info@wrft.org.uk / 07786 836 003; Sue Ward (WRFT Adminstrator) admin@wrft.org.uk
Further background information:
Fisheries Management Scotland Fish Farming https://fms.scot/fish-farming/
SEPA Sea lice regulatory framework https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2023/sepa-confirms-new-regulatory-framework-to-help-protect-scotlands-king-of-fish/#:~:text=The%20Sea%20Lice%20Framework%20includes,West%20Coast%20and%20Western%20Isles
https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2024/phased-introduction-of-sepas-sea-lice-framework-begins/
WRFT sea trout and sea lice monitoring reports, see under:
https://www.wrft.org.uk/fisheries/seatrout.cfm
https://www.wrft.org.uk/activities/sealicemonitoring.cfm
Wester Ross Fisheries Trust Torridon sea trout study
https://www.wrft.org.uk/files/Torridon%20sea%20trout%20report%20Jan%202016.pdf
Recent WRFT juvenile salmon survey reports can be found here
