River Lochay Falls Project
The River Lochay, one of the major upper rivers
flowing into Loch Tay, is impassable to salmon
or trout because of a waterfall - The Falls of
Lochay.
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board installed
a fish pass over the falls in the 1950's, unfortunately
the design is such that this only has limited
success.
The River Board, with the help of the Foundation
intends to open up the falls by cutting new steps
into the rock. This can be achieved for a fraction
of the cost of a traditional fish pass, while
at the same time reducing the impact on the environment.
Having achieved free migration for the salmon
and trout into the Lochay system, it is further
proposed to improve the habitat within the system.
This will include fencing sheep from the river
banks to allow natural vegetation to recover.
Salmon stocks, especially spring stocks have shown
a drastic decline over the last number of years.
This project should go a long way to help the
River Lochay achieve its maximum annual production
of an additional 2-3,000 salmon (of which most
will be big spring salmon). |
