Activities
The Trust are currently involved in a variety of activities throughout the area, including:
The assessment of juvenile populations within the rivers and burns, undertaken by electrofishing in the summer.
The assessment of habitat availability and recommendations for its improvement.
Post-smolt tagging of sea trout carried out in estuaries - the re-capture of fish gives information on the marine migrations and growth rates of sea trout. In addition, the fish are examined for sea lice while being tagged, with these results used to provide comparisons with the neighbouring farms.
As part of an Association of West Coast Fisheries Trust (AWCFT) (now RAFTS) project the WSFT was involved in counting sea lice on sea trout down the west coast of Scotland. The results were compared to the distance from fish farms and the stage of production of those farms, and provided information to inform the Area Management Agreements.
Area Management Agreements have been signed within Loch Laxford and Loch Eriboll. Part of the Tripartite Working Group initiative, the AMA's are agreements between farms and wild fish interests which enable dialogue between the two with the aim of improving farm and estate practice to the benefit of the wild and farmed salmon and sea trout. The Loch Laxford AMA was the first to be signed in Scotland.
As a result of the post-smolt tagging within the estuaries, 2005 saw the start of a project to look at the availability of prey species within Lochs Laxford and Eriboll. This project is aimed at determining the differences between the two estuaries and attempts to explain the differences observed in growth rates of the two populations of sea trout.
The Trust has produced a Fisheries Management Plan for the area, covering the period 2008 - 2013. This details the recommendations for management within the area, and also drives the Trust work programme for the coming years.
The assessment of the eel population in the Geisgeil catchment was started in 2008. Part funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, it is hoped to improve management of the eel populations within the catchment as well as learn more about this endangered species.
The use of traps within the area to examine fish populations has increased. We are operating 2 smolt traps - in the Laxford and Bhadaidh Daraich catchments - in order to assess smolt runs within these systems. The traps will run from the start of April until the end of May.
Education forms a large part of the Trusts remit. The annual Ghillies Seminar is always well attended and received, while the Trust also undertakes different projects with the local schools and the HC Ranger Service.
A Biosecurity Plan is being developed for the area, covering the period 2010 - 2016. This will involve a mix of stakeholders and details problems within the area and recommends actions to address these issues.
Scale reading provides information on the age and growth of fish. Much of this is undertaken on scale samples that anglers have submitted.
For more information on these projects please click on the appropriate section. The results to each project are presented in the Annual Review. Copies of the 2009 Review are now available from the Biologist, for £5.00, or can be accessed online by clicking here.